Abandoned
by Freewhisker
Summary: After finding out she's pregnant, Rory shares the news with her mother and the father of her child only to be pushed away by both of them. Abandoned and pregnant, she heads out to follow in her mother's footsteps of making a life of her own. This is the story of her and her child out on their own and what happens when they run into a blast from the past.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! This my first Gilmore Girls fanfiction, but I have been thinking of writing one for a while now. Some of the places mentioned in this story are real and some are fake, just so you know. All rights go to the creators of Gilmore Girls. This is just my take of what could have happened after AYITL. Please feel to review as you see fit below.**

 **PS If you got notified about a chapter being posted as this one, please know it was just an update for an accidental plot oops. Thank you kimarmot for your catch on my oopsie with the time zones.**

 **Chapter 1**

I cradle my baby girl in my arms as I rock her carefully to sleep. I never thought I would be doing this on my own. I never thought that I would have to run away from home, just like my mother did. At 32, I followed in my mother's footsteps of having a child out of wedlock. Lorelai Rose Gilmore was born on May 5, 2017 at 3:30 am in the Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport, Maine which was close to the city of Sunnyvale, Maine where I landed after everyone in my life spurned me away. It all started when I told my mother after her wedding that I was pregnant. Her first reaction was excitement to have a grandchild, but by the time she returned from her honeymoon she was absolutely devastated and angry about the pregnancy. She called me out on not being safe to prevent an unwed pregnancy, on not being able to push away an engaged man, and she stated that it was a mistake. I was shocked and angered by her statements, so I called out to her before I left, "Say whatever you want, but just know you raised me to always be like your mini-mi and now that I am doing something just like you you are pushing me away. Have a good life, Emily!"

I stormed out of the house with the bag I had quickly packed and quickly regretted the statements I had made. I knew though that my child didn't need to be around someone who wouldn't love them and thought was a mistake. I ran then from there and hopped on a plane to tell my baby's father, Logan, about her. When I got there though, he pushed me away. He told me that we had said our good byes, he was marrying Odette, and it didn't matter if I was pregnant. I left London, scared and alone knowing that I couldn't go home and no one cared about me or my baby. As I landed back in the states, I decided that I need to follow once more in my mother's footsteps and step out on my own going to a small town where hopefully my baby and I could be safe and eventually loved without having to feel destroyed. I eventually decided to head north and as I was driving through Maine, I saw the sign for Sunnyvale and it just seemed right. I pulled into town at first as a quick stop for lunch, stopping at a locally owned diner called The Cool Place. It was no Luke's, but the food was still good. Although, baby at that time had me eating healthier then I had ever eaten before. Over the next 6 months or so, I became a part of this small town and found a job with the local paper before Rose was born. Now in present day, Rose is 3 months old and I am still working from home the most of the time for the paper. The editor loves my voice seen in my stories and has tried a few times to push me to send articles to the bigger papers, but I turn him down every time. The last thing I need to be is discovered in my hiding. My latest article I am writing is on the new hotel that will be opening in about a week. It is said that it will draw a large crowd to this town, but we will see. It has been interesting researching the hotel and the family chain it is coming from. The Morgan Hotels is a family brand originally started in Australia and it slowly has spread across different countries as the family members spread from the home land. They still keep an Australian touch to all of their hotels though which seems to draw in the clientele. Tomorrow I have a meeting with the project manager to get his thoughts on the hotel opening in the town. I wonder what the project manager will be like.

 **The Next Morning**

I wake up to Rose crying in her crib next to my bed. I carefully pick her up and get her settled against my chest so she can enjoy her breakfast. I grab my phone and see a text from the lady I had set up to babysit Rose during my meeting. It states that she is sick and can't come assist with Rose. I know at this late time frame no one else will be able to step in and watch her. I look down at the sweet baby girl cradled to my bosom before stating, "Well baby girl, looks like you get to come to work with mommy today."

I let her finish eating and then get her all changed and dressed for the day. I then move towards my closet and quickly get dressed in a black pencil skirt and red button down shirt. I slip on a pair of flats and pull out Rose's stroller. I set her down in her car seat and then set that in the stroller. I hang her favorite monkey from the bar above her and head outside. It is a gorgeous day and I know that the cold weather will soon be starting, so I enjoy it some as we walk towards the hotel. I stop outside the building and pull out a camera to take some pictures of the building. I don't notice a man walk up behind me until he clears his throat and says in an Australian accent, "Mrs. Hayden, I presume?"

I realize quickly that I recognize the voice and I hold myself steady slightly as I say without turning, "It's actually Miss Hayden, but you can call me Rory."

I hear a deep intact of breath from him and then turn to face him. I state, "It's been a while, Finn. How's life been treating you?"

Finn smiles at me and then pulls me in a tight hug. He then looks over at the stroller and says, "It has been a while love, but I think that time has been more exciting for you then it has been for me."

I grin at him and at that moment Rose decides to cry out in her stroller done with being ignored. I walk over to her and carefully unclip her from the car seat and walk back towards Finn. I smile at him and say, "Yes indeed it has. Finn I would like you to meet Lorelai Rose Gilmore or Rose as we prefer to call her."

He looks at Rose and smiles before looking back at me and asking, "Is she Logan's?"

I nod my head and he shakes his before asking, "Does he know about her, love?"

I nod my head again and he swears quietly under his breath as if to protect Rose's innocent ears from such filth. He then looks back at me before asking another question, "Why are you here?"

I look down at Rose and back at Finn and say, "How about we head to a local diner and we can talk this out there?"

He nods his head and I set Rose back in her stroller. I lead him to The Cool Place and I wave at the owner. I sit down at one of the window seats and Finn sits across from me. The owner, Donny, walks over to us with two glasses and a pitcher of water. He sets both glasses in front of me and fills them up. I smile and say, "Thanks, Donny."

Finn watches the interaction with Donny in intrigue and then looks at the water cups in front of me before asking, "Is one of those for me?"

I chuckle and then state, "Nope. Being a nursing mother means I have to keep hydrated and Donny always makes sure I have enough water to do the job. If you would like, he can bring you over something to drink."

Finn looks at me confused and then looks over at Donny before saying, "I'll have a cup of coffee."

Donny nods his head and heads back to the counter to get Finn's coffee. Finn meanwhile looks towards me and says, "I can't believe this is the day where I see Rory Gilmore not drinking coffee."

I chuckle before saying, "Well I had to drop the habit when pregnant with Rose and since she's been born I seem to have lost the taste for it. Also, with my need to constantly be hydrated drinking a product that will dehydrate me isn't a good idea."

He smiles and Donny brings over her coffee setting it in front of me. Donny looks at me and states, "Your usual, Rory?"

I nod and then he hands a menu to Finn before stating, "Let me know once you are ready to order."

Finn takes the menu and looks quickly over it before looking back at Donny and stating, "I'll have whatever the lady is having."

Donny looks at me questionably, but I nod my head. He then heads towards the kitchen to work on making our meals. Finn finally looks at me and says, "Now Rory, can I have an answer to my question? What are you doing here?"

I look at him carefully and say, "Finn, I am here because I got pregnant out of wedlock and everyone who I thought would stand by me pushed me away. My mother attacked me for the pregnancy and called my baby a mistake. Logan told me he was with Odette and pushed me away not caring about our baby. I had no one left in my corner, so I ran."

Finn shakes his head looking at me carefully, but he also seems deep in thought. He finally responds, "About what time did you inform Logan of your pregnancy?"

I think back on the time frame and knew that it was just after my mother's wedding. I finally respond, "It was probably about the middle of November when I informed him of my pregnancy."

He nods his head almost looking conflicted. Donny walks up at that moment with our food. My regular order is a side plate of fruit, egg whites, wheat toast, and cut up pieces of a pork chop. When I was pregnant with Rose, my eating habits changed dramatically mostly from the pregnancy cravings and since she has been born I keep up the healthy habit as when I eat unhealthy Rose seems to get grumpy. Finn looks down at the food in front of us and then back at me almost questionably. He finally stutters out, "This is not what I was expecting for a Gilmore breakfast."

I chuckle before saying, "Well Gilmore breakfast habits tend to change especially when the latest Lorelai seems to hate processed foods."

He chuckles and then finally responds to the statement that I made, "Did you pay much attention to the media news regarding Logan's engagement that came about at the start of December?"

I shake my head and then he continues, "At the beginning of December, Odette broke off her engagement with Logan because she caught him cheating. Since the break off of the engagement, Logan has started dating the woman he was cheating with and hasn't left London almost as if he is protecting her. Colin, Robert, and I all thought the mystery woman was you, but apparently not."

I look at him with many questions in my eyes, but I stop to pick up a piece of fruit and eat it. I then shake my head as I say, "He was probably already with the mystery woman when I told him of my pregnancy which is why he pushed me away. It doesn't matter though as long as he is happy. Rose and I are doing just fine on our own and don't need anyone outside of this town to take care of us."

Finn looks at me and then looks at Rose in her stroller before saying, "Why didn't you contact any of us when Logan pushed you away? We all would have been there for you, had we known about the pregnancy."

I shake my head and say, "Finn you were always his friends first and so I have no right to take you from him. It also wasn't my place to contact any of you. If he doesn't want to be in his child's life, than he also doesn't want any of you in their life. Now I came out to meet with you today to interview you about your new hotel opening next week. Lets focus on that instead of things that can't be changed."

He watches me carefully, but we start discussing the hotel and his family's hope for the town while we eat our breakfasts. As we near the end of our discussion Rose starts crying out and I carefully take her from the stroller. I grab my diaper bag from the handle of the stroller and look at Finn saying, "Sorry to interrupt our business breakfast, but motherhood calls."

I head off with Rose to the restroom to change her and feed her out of the way. I am unsure of this whole Finn situation. In some ways, I am happy to see him, but I also know that I have no right to him as he was always Logan's friend first.

 **Meanwhile back at the table...**

Finn pulls out his phone and dials the number for one of his very best friends. His friend answers with exhaustion present in his voice, "Hello?"

Finn shakes his head and says, "Hello good mate. How's life treating you? Spent any time lately with any gorgeous brunettes?"

He can hear Logan's voice get a little angry as he responds, "What the hell are you talking about, Finn? You know I am not divulging any information about my latest girl. I got to protect her from my crazy family."

Finn shakes his head and says, "Ah I see, but you see Logan I have ran into a certain gorgeous brunette."

He hears a deep breath be taken by Logan as his friend says, "How is Rory, Finn?"

Finn shakes his head, standing from the table and stepping out of the diner. He decided that the locals didn't need to directly hear his conversation with Logan. As he walks out the door he states, "Since you pushed her away when she came to you, I am not going to bother to answer that question. If you cared at all, you would have done what is right and have dropped your mystery woman for mother dearest, not lie to her."

Finn walks a short distance away from the door as he hears Logan's response, "Finn, you have no idea what you are talking about."

Finn looks around carefully before saying, "I know Logan that at some point after you and Rory said your good byes you found a mystery woman that you have been keeping away from everyone, even your friends, and that you pushed away the mother of your child with a lie after her own mother had done the same."

Finn can hear a deep intake of breath on the other end of the line as Logan finally responds, "Finn, you have to understand that the mystery woman I have been keeping from everyone is the absolute love of my life and she doesn't come from our world. After how my parents reacted to Rory when I first brought her home, I knew I couldn't do the same thing to Sally. When Rory came to me telling me of her pregnancy, I had finally moved on from her and I knew if I told her the truth or tried to be there for the baby that it would cause me to lose the love of my life and I couldn't handle that."

Finn looks back towards the diner and then around the town that he had found her in. Even if she was on her own, he realized that in reality Rory was probably doing a whole lot of better on her own then if Logan had claimed her and their child. Finn finally responds, "Well that is understandable and you can stay out of their lives, but don't expect me or anyone else to. Also, it's good to have a name for your a mystery woman. Sally sounds fantastic and when you are ready for us to meet her, I am excited too."

Finn hears Logan chuckle before saying, "I wouldn't expect any less. Now man, I got to head off to dinner after a busy hectic day at work. Good night."

Finn chuckles, says good morning, and hangs up before heading back into the diner.

 **Back in the diner**

I sit down at the table carefully holding Rose as I pick up a piece of fruit. I look around wondering where Finn may have wandered off to, but ultimately know that he wouldn't have left without saying good bye. Donny walks over and fills my water glass before asking, "So who is this guy, Rory?"

I look over at Donny, who is right around my mother's age if not a little older and reminds me a lot of Luke. I smile and respond stating, "He's an old friend that I haven't seen in a while."

Donny smiles at me and then looks towards the door. I hear the bell above it jangle and hear footsteps heading toward the table. Finn sits down across from me again and states, "Sorry if I kept you waiting long, I had to make a quick phone call."

I shake my head and watch Finn's mannerisms carefully. He picks up a piece of his toast to eat it and I carefully ask, "That's alright. We just got back out here. We've been so busy talking about my personal life and your business life that we haven't even had a chance to talk about your personal life, so how has life been Finn?"

Finn looks at me carefully and I gently rock Rose trying to settle her to sleep. He then looks around us before stating, "Well since you last saw me, I have become much more centered on work. Less gallivanting around with random women, more business meetings and hotel launches."

I chuckle at that and he continues on, "I still see the boys every once and a while. Colin and Steph finally got their act together and have settled down. I spend some time with them quite often. They are discussing adopting children as they want to give a home to those who need it most. I am excited to be a Godfather to their children along with Logan."

I nod my head and then I carefully ask what I had been wondering since he came back into the diner, "Was it Logan that you were talking to on the phone?"

He nods his head and states, "Yes, indeed it was. After hearing what he had done to you and to Rose, I couldn't leave him on his own in London. I called him mainly to tell him that even if he didn't want to be in your lives, that that wasn't going to stop the rest of us. Of course, some of my annoyance at his abandonment of you may have seeped out, but overall we ended the conversation on good terms. I even got to be the first to learn the name of his mystery woman."

I smile at him and ask the hardest question I have, "Does he seem happy, Finn?"

He nods and looks at me carefully before saying, "Yes, he does. It's the happiest I've seen him since you two were truly a couple, which is why I assumed you two were together."

I grin and then look down at Rose to see that she has fallen asleep in my arms. I look back at him and say carefully, "Well this has been fun Finn, but I have to head out now as it looks like its Rose's nap time. I will have my editor get in contact with you if I need anything else for the article."

I stand up and carefully change my grasp on Rose. Finn looks at me dumbfounded and then says, "Rory, what just happened?"

I look back at him as I put a hand on the stroller. I decide to just carry Rose as she sleeps best with direct skin contact and I don't want to wake her by putting her in the car seat. I shake my head and say, "Nothing happened. I am happy to hear that all of you are doing well, but I have to focus on being a mom right now and you guys are Logan's friends first. I have no right to any of you and I think you should give his new girl a chance. Good bye Finn."

I grab the handle of the stroller and walk quickly out of the diner without waiting for a response from him. I stroll quickly down the street with Rose sleeping on my shoulder. Some of the town people give me a quiet wave as they notice Rose asleep on my shoulder. I reach home and set her down gently in her crib before quietly stepping out of the nursery. I pick up my phone and dial a number I hoped to never call. I wait as it rings before a gruff masculine voice answers, "Hello?"

I shake my head and just carefully state, "One of his friends ran into me and reminded Logan of me. Sally may soon be pushed enough to try something."

I listen as the gruff voice says, "I'll take care of her. I'll let you know if you need to move locations."

I click the phone and look around the home I had made for myself. I really hope I don't have to run.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone! I just wanted to send out a quick thank you to all of you have read, followed, favorited, and reviewed the first chapter! I am extremely grateful for all of you and hope that you know that I see it and it pushes me to try and crank out chapters to you. I am hoping to get out one chapter once a week, but depending on my work schedule and the creative juices that are flowing you may get more than that. I hope you enjoy what I have to come in this chapter and please feel free to review.**

 **As always, I have no right to the characters (except for the ones I have created on my own) and all rights go where they are due.**

 **Chapter 2**

I spend the rest of the day busying around my apartment, taking care of Rose, and just carefully waiting to see if I get a call back that I have to run. Soon after I returned from London and right after I had gotten settled in Sunnyvale, I was approached by the man that I had called who know of my pregnancy and the fact that Logan had pushed me away. He asked me the reasoning Logan gave and laughed when I told him. That was when he informed me of the fact that Logan was having an affair with a woman named Sally. He informed me that Sally was not who Logan thought she was, but to get him to marry her she would do anything. I was stunned at this information and concerned about my safety and my future child's safety. He went over a plan with me and since then I have carefully followed it with the knowledge that if my location was ever discovered I would have to call him. Finn coming to town is probably one of the worst things that could have happened. I am glad that my editor had been the one to set up the interview and that Finn did not have my new number. My name is still legally the same and the town members know it, but they call me by the name I have taken up. None of them really understand why I go under a different name, but none of them would give out my real name if asked. I know also that my editor will not give Finn any information if he comes to him looking for it and none of the town members will either. They have all become a second family to Rose and I which makes them very protective of us. Ultimately, I know that I have to protect my child from this woman and that to do so I have to be wary of my every move. I was informed that soon after I told Logan of my pregnancy that she orchestrated everything so Odette would catch them together and terminate the business agreement. Overall, I know she is a threat and being the mother that I am there is no way I am letting her anywhere near my child. That is even if it means pushing away people who could care dearly for Rose and I. I head into the kitchen and start working on cooking up a quick dinner. I still am not a strong cook, but I work towards it to try and eat out less. I cook up some scrambled eggs and sandwich it between two slices of wheat bread. I tend to eat breakfast for dinner a lot as it is what I learned first to cook and it is the only thing I can cook really well. I head into the nursery to watch my baby rest and quickly eat my food. I know that I need to start working on my article, so I grab the baby monitor and head back into the other room. I open my laptop and start to work on my article on the newest hotel coming to this small town. Time passes quickly and as I finish the first draft of my article, I look up at the time to see that it is almost 11. I know that Rose will be up soon, so I stop and take a break from my article. Almost as if right on cue, she wakes up and starts to cry. I head into her nursery and carefully pick her up as I say, "That's a mamma's girl. I love you so much, Rose."

I move over to the rocking chair in her room and start to carefully feed her and rock gently. She has always been an easy baby and took well to breast feeding. Some of the older mothers in the town had told me several times they are jealous of how easy she is. They all love to spend time with her occasionally which makes it easy when I need to do interviews for work. I almost wonder if my babysitter for the day hadn't been sick, would I have let Finn know about Rose? Probably not to protect her from the crazy woman, but it would have been so nice to have someone from my old life to care about us. I sometimes wish I could reach out to my mother, but then her harsh words just keep coming back to me and I know that that is not what Rose needs in her life. I can remember how hard it was to see my mother fighting with my grandparents. My phone rings next to me and I shake my head quickly before answering it, "Rory here."

The other voice on the line quips out in the lovable chipper voice of my fellow writer for the paper, Genevieve, "Well good evening Rory darling. How did your interview go with the hotel project manager?"

I chuckle and carefully rearrange myself so that Rose can be comfortable eating and I can talk to Genevieve easily. I finally responding stating, "It was definitely interesting. I have my first draft all written up and I plan to review it once dinner time is done for Rose."

She laughs and I can hear papers shuffling in the background before she states, "Was he handsome? I heard some rumors for the town that he was a good looking man with an Australian accent."

I shake my head, rolling my eyes. Genevieve was always interested in the new men that came into town. In some ways, she reminded me of the old Finn, but instead of having a pension for redheads she had one for accents. I finally say, "Yeah he is handsome, but very focused on his work right now. I don't think he'd be interested in being your bed mate for a night."

She chuckles and says, "Oh really now darling Rory? Did you and Mr. Aussie talk about more then the hotel opening?"

I shake my head and quickly respond, "A little bit. It turns out that the project manager was one of the Morgan sons, so family was discussed as it has such a large part to the growth of their company. It probably also helped that I had Rose with me as Denise was sick."

I cradle Rose close to my bosom as I wait for Genevieve's response. She finally responds, "Well that is definitely going to be an interesting piece to read and I am shocked a large company like that would send one of their own to open a hotel in a small town like ours."

I shake my head slightly and then remember what I had wrote about just that. I finally say, "Well according to Mr. Morgan the family always makes sure that one family member takes some part in every hotel they open as they want the towns they enter to know that they are a part of the Morgan family as well. Some times the Morgan involved will take a less active role in an opening depending on the location or their current life events, but they try and always visit the town several times before a hotel even opens."

She chuckles and than says, "Well it sounds like it will be a good article. Probably more entertaining then the one I have to write on Josie's retirement from teaching at the local elementary school after 50 years."

I smile and know that we both lament on occasion on what we are writing, but ultimately both love what we do. She then goes on to say, "Oh by the way Rory, I heard Dennis talking the other day about how he really thought you should send your piece on the Maine gubernatorial election off to The Coastal Journal and I totally agree. I think your voice needs to be spread out wider than our small community. Of course it would be published under the name Rory Hayden or if you were concerned about that, you could just publish under the name Hayden."

I look at Rose after realizing she had stopped eating. She is looking up at me with the biggest, most innocent eyes, and I respond, "No, I don't think it is good enough to be out there. Once I write something good enough, I will pass it on to the bigger papers. Don't worry about the name thing either."

Genevieve, of all the town people, had always been pushing to learn more of my story, but I always deflected as I knew I had to. Eventually I hope to be able to share my story with the town, so they can understand who I am better, but I know that day is not today and am unsure of when it will be. I listen to her response to my statement, "Fine, fine, whatever you say. I have to go, John is in the area and should be here shortly."

I chuckle and say cheerily, "Good night! Enjoy John's British accent, maybe he will be the one to tie you down."

She chuckles as she responds, "Maybe, but I'd have to get him to stay in one country long enough. Good night Rory and Rose! I love you both!"

I hang up the phone call and look down at Rose in my arms. I rock her slowly and sing softly a lullaby hoping that she will be ready for bed after her dinner. Some nights she will fall asleep almost immediately after eating, while others she is a cuddle monster and won't fall asleep or does, but wakes up as soon as I set her down. I hear the door bell chime and I start to wonder who would be stopping by so late at night. I walk towards the door as it chimes a second time. I stop more cautiously wondering more intensely on who could be at the door at this late of hour. I continue walking cautiously towards the door thinking that perhaps it is Donny stopping by to make sure I had eaten as he knows how I can get when I am writing an article. I reach the door and look out the peephole to see a gorgeous blonde woman standing in front of my door. I cradle Rose to my chest and back from the door. Next to my surprise I hear the woman's voice say, "Alright, Rory, if you aren't going to open the door for me, then I will just have to do it myself."

* * *

 **Meanwhile Back In Stars Hollow**

Lorelai sits in her living room staring at the door just hoping that a knock will sound on it and that her daughter will walk through. Shortly after the falling out with Rory, she had realized how messed up it was what all she said. She had tried to reach out to those she knew who may know where Rory was, but no one seemed any the wiser. If they did know, they weren't telling her and she was distraught not knowing if Rory was alive or dead. Luke tried to comfort her on some nights and assisted as she tried to find any information on where Rory maybe. Lorelai believes that wherever Rory is that she will probably be writing, so every week Luke and her both look through 20 different papers from around the country to see if any of the writers maybe Rory. They look for her name or one similar, her writing style, or any articles that may mention a Rory Gilmore as they recognize that Rory's baby should be born by now. The only person Lorelai had been able to get a concise answer out of Logan and that was a stern no, so she knew that Rory was most likely somewhere in the states. She is stunned to hear footsteps coming down the stairs. She turns towards Luke as he states, "Lorelai, look at this."

He hands her a paper called The Sunnyvale Gazette which states is based out of Sunnyvale, Maine. She looks through the paper and stops when she reads a name on the City Spotlight page. The article is written by a Rory Hayden and it is a spotlight on the oldest man in town, Joseph Williams, celebrating his 95th birthday. She reads the article careful and looks back at the name, just getting a sense that this is what they have been searching for. She looks back at Luke and says, "Luke, this is her."

He nods his head and holds her closely. He finally says, "Tomorrow we can head to Sunnyvale, Maine and we can find her."

Lorelai nods her head against his chest and silently cries. The tears are a mix of joy and sadness as she is unsure of how Rory will handle them appearing in her life again. Ultimately, tomorrow is a new day and all Lorelai hopes for is that Rory will not push her away.

 **Authors Note** : Any thoughts on who is at Rory's door or who the mystery man who Rory called is?


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello amazing readers! I want to give a quick thank you to all of you for your reviews, favorites, and follows! I love to see the excitement you all hold for my story! I hope you like what I have to come in this chapter. Please feel free to read and review!**

 **PS All rights go to the creators of the show!**

 **Chapter 3**

I hear the craziness in that statement and am not quite sure what the woman means, but I run to my bedroom and quickly set Rose in the extra bassinet after setting it in the master bathroom. I put a quick kiss to her head and pull the door shut quickly before rushing out to the main room looking towards the door. I suddenly hear a key jangle in the lock and I freeze. As I watch the door knob turn in amazement, I unfreeze and prepare myself for whatever is to come. The blonde woman walks through the door and smiles at me as she closes it behind her. She looks at me and then says, "Hello Rory, my names Sally."

I watch her carefully and then look towards the key in her hand. I take a deep breath and say carefully hoping to distract her, "How did you get a key to my apartment?"

She grins maniacally as she watches me and then she twirls the key in her hand before says, "Well men will give up almost anything for a good fuck and I will definitely say I gave your landlord a good one."

She winks at me and I respond saying, "What about Logan though? What will he think about you giving my landlord a good one?"

She chuckles and looks at me carefully, coming a step closer to me. She finally says, "Well what Logan doesn't know, can't hurt him and he won't ever know about what I did here."

I look at her carefully and am thankful that Rose has stayed quiet. I will do anything I can to protect her and at this point I am unsure on quite how far I will have to go. I finally question her asking, "How did you know where I was?"

She giggles almost like a school girl before responding, "I have known where you have been ever since you left London after Logan pushed you away for me. I heard that Finn was coming to this town and I knew that he would most likely discover you and contact Logan about you, which of course he did. I knew that if Logan started having his friends talk to him about you that it might cause a distance in our relationship, especially if he decided that he wanted a relationship with his child. I left a few days ago and waited to ensure that Finn would indeed meet you when he was here. He will be the perfect scapegoat for all of this. The long time friend finds the ex girlfriend of his best friend claiming that her child is his best friend's when in actuality it is not and so his anger caused him to lash out at both the girl and the bastard child."

I watch her carefully and take a soft step back before asking, "So you are planning to blame Finn for your crimes, how do you plan to do that?"

She looks at me carefully and says, "It is for me to know and this talk has become tedious. I think it is time to end it."

She pulls a pocket knife out of her pocket and opens it. Before I can think about moving, she lunges at me and lands a stab into my gut with the knife. I drop to the ground holding my side as she steps away from me and walks further into the apartment saying to herself, "Now it's time to find that bastard child of yours and take care of that problem. I don't need any competition for the children Logan and I are going to have."

I watch her shadow as it starts to get smaller heading towards the bedrooms, so I pull myself up from the ground and get into a standing position. I wobble slowly towards the backrooms right as I see her entering the master bedroom. At the imminent threat to my child, all that I have left flows into me and I go sprinting into the bedroom and jump into the door frame in front of Sally right before she opens the door. I push her back and she looks at me with a crazed look in her face. She grabs her knife and stabs out towards me again nicking my right arm. She pulls it back again as I turn to open the door. She stabs into my back and the knife gets stuck. I push the door open, pulling myself in and closing the door before she can follow. I lock the door knowing that there is no key and no way for her to unlock it from the outside. She hits the door with frustration as she tries to open it. I hear her swear at the door. I walk towards the bassinet and look down towards Rose. I start to cry tears of joy as I see that my sweet baby is sleeping soundly in her bassinet without any cares in the world. I look back towards the door as I hear something thrown at it. I shake my head and carefully sit down on the floor next to the bassinet. I pull my phone out of my pocket and carefully call 911. I tell them my location and what happened and they let me know that they have someone on their way. Mentally I know that I have several stab wounds and the knife still in my back, but I can't seem to emotionally feel the pain and all I can do is try to stay calm in case Rose wakes up. The noises get further away from the door, but I hear crashes and bangs all throughout my apartment. I hear the sirens in the distance, but then an even scarier voice just outside the door saying, "If you've survived this, I will come after you again and next time you and your bastard child won't be so lucky."

I shake my head and clutch the bassinet carefully. I hear her footsteps as she runs out of the building and then listen as the sirens get closer to me. Rose wakes up as the sirens get closer and I carefully take her out of the bassinet and hold her to my chest. She seems to calm in my arms, but is still confused by the noise and situation surrounding us. I clutch her to my chest and rock her gently as I say, "It's alright, Rose. Mommy's not going to let anything bad ever happen to you."

I hear footsteps enter the apartment as a masculine voice calls out, "This is the police, come out with your hands up."

I don't recognize the voice, but that isn't unusual. The town isn't large enough to have its own police force or fire department, so the state patrol usually takes care of it. I pull myself closer to the door, but stop to listen carefully ensuring that this isn't a trap. I hear several more pairs of feet enter and a different masculine voice call out, "This is the police, if any one can hear me, come to the sound of my voice. The threat is gone."

I unlock the door and slowly walk out of the bathroom carefully holding Rose. One of the police officers walks into the bedroom right as I step out and she calls out, "I've got her. She's in the bedroom."

She then looks towards Rose and I with a concern in her eyes. She steps slowly towards us and says, "It's all going to be alright. Give me the baby and we will make sure no one hurts her."

I shake my head and hold Rose a tiny bit tighter to me. I look at her and carefully say, "She doesn't do well with strangers and after all of this I am not leaving her alone with a stranger."

She looks at me with concern in her eyes, just as two male police officers walk into the room. One of them looks at me and I can tell he is evaluating the visible injuries. He then says, "Come on ma'am, give us the baby, so we can help you out."

I realize that he was one of the men calling out as they entered the apartment, but still I don't feel like I can trust any of them. Everyone is suspect at this point and I have to protect my child. I look at both of them and say fiercely, "No, I won't give her to either of you. I can give you a name and number for a person to call that could meet us at the hospital or I can call them, but I will not be handing her over to you. As a mother, her safety is the most important thing to me."

The two officers who have spoken to me exchange looks and then the female finally says, "Fine, we will do it your way. First off, what is your child's name and your name?"

I look towards her carefully and say, "My name is Rory Hayden and this is my daughter Rose Hayden."

I know that I could give her both of our legal names, but I also am unsure of who to trust anymore. There is only two people I know of who for absolutely sure will protect Rose and myself. After Rose was born, Donny and I had gone over an emergency plan if something were ever to happen to me on who would need to be contacted to help with Rose. I wasn't going to have anyone contacting my mother because I don't want her to be the one making the decisions when she doesn't know me anymore. I wrote up a living will stating who could make decisions regarding my health and wellness if I was not able to make those decisions myself. This was a large part of the emergency plan Donny held for me. It also included a list of sources of safe breast milk for Rose, if the worst was to happen. The female officer looks at me and says, "Thank you, Rory. Now, who is it that you want us to call to meet us at the hospital? Your husband perhaps?"

I look at her with skepticism in my eyes. I can tell from the demeanor between the three of them that she is the leader in this situation. I finally respond directing it to her, "I am not married, so no you will not be calling my husband. The person you can call is Donny Rogers and his phone number at this hour of the day is 555-735-8686. He has the necessary contacts for my emergency plan and my living will."

She looks at me carefully and then nods her head. She states, "We will reach out to him. Is there anything that your daughter needs before we get both of you into the ambulance?"

I nod my head and step closer to them in the door way. I cradle Rose to my chest and say, "Yes, let me pack a diaper bag for her and then we can head to the ambulance."

She nods and ushers to the two men with her to step back out of the door frame. They head into the living room and I cradle Rose as I walk into her nursery. The room is trashed with her crib thrown on its side and her mattress slit. A silent tear slips down my cheek as I remember picking out each item. I reach down and grab my diaper bag from in the closet and find it to be thankfully untouched. I grab Rose's favorite stuffed animal and slide it into the bag with a few extra onesies. I then step out into the living room and head to the refrigerator. I can hear one of the male officers on the phone, most likely talking to Donny. I hear the female take a small gasp as my back faces her for the first time. I try to ignore her reaction and the destruction in the apartment as I reach into the refrigerator and grab the couple of bottles of breast milk I had stashed for the baby sitter. In some ways, I am glad now that she had canceled the other day because it now means I have some for Rose for when I am unable to feed her. I turn around and look at the female officer. I can see the concern in her eyes, but also the amazement. I give her a quick little smile and say, "Alright, we are ready to go."

She nods her head and carefully holds out a hand to me. I take it and she says, "Let's get both of you out into the ambulance. You can't be the strong mama for Rose if you are falling apart yourself."

I nod my head and hold onto her hand with one arm and Rose with the other. She carefully escorts me out of the building and into the waiting ambulance. The paramedics look at me with a very alert concern and one of them says, "Ma'am, would it be alright if I look at your wounds?"

I look at him and hold Rose closer to me. I finally respond stating, "I am not feeling any pain right now and I am trying to keep my daughter calm. Once I have someone she knows to take her from me, I will let them check me out at the hospital."

He nods his head with concern in his eyes, that I try to ignore. I know that my injuries probably look really bad to them and that I probably am in shock, but I also know that I need to remain calm to keep Rose calm. The ambulance pulls out from my apartment complex with the sirens whirring as we head towards the hospital.

 **Meanwhile near Donny's house two blocks from The Cool Place**

Finn is out for a walk unable to sleep with all of the thoughts whirring through his head regarding Rory, Rose, Logan, and Sally. He never thought he would see the day where Logan would push Rory away, but this Sally must be some hell of a woman. He wonders the streets enjoying the quiet, but does hear a siren in the distance and wonders what can be disrupting such a quiet town. In his musing of his thoughts, he passes The Cool Place all closed up for the night and keeps walking. He hears all of a sudden a door slam and looks up to see Donny rushing out of a house. Unsure of the situation, Finn freezes to observe what is happening. He sees Donny look up and spot him. Donny freezes for a moment before calling out, "It was Finn, wasn't it?"

Finn nods his head and walks towards Donny. Donny looks him over and says, "I hate to ask this, but I know Rory mentioned that you were an old friend of hers. Do you know anything about her family?"

Finn looks questionably at Donny almost wondering where these questions were coming from and where Donny was headed to in such a hurry. He finally answers, "Yes, I do. I know her mother and grandmother. Her grandfather passed a while back and I never really got to meet her father. Why do you ask?"

Donny looks at him almost wondering what the story behind Rory was, but knowing that this was not the time to ask. He finally then stops his thinking and says, "Rory's been injured and is being rushed to the hospital. She had set up an emergency plan with me and has set up a living will. She told me that if something ever happened to her, she didn't want to have decisions put to someone who doesn't know her anymore. I want to respect her wishes, but if she has family out there that cares for her I don't want to hold out on them in case this is more serious then it seems."

Finn nods his head and a look of concern passes his face. He didn't expect on such a gorgeous night to hear that Rory was injured and to know that however bad it was, it scared Donny enough to want to break her wishes. He finally says, "Let me ride with you and I will try to reach out to them. I want to be there for both of them as well. She doesn't deserve to be alone during any of this."

Donny nods his head and the two men quickly head to his car. They get in and Donny drives quickly towards the hospital. Before he had left the house, he had called the only other person who needed to be called and he know that they were on their way, but would probably not arrive until at least morning as the family jet was booked and they were in New York at the moment. There plan was to drive up there, but it would take time. Donny continues to drive towards the hospital in a silence praying that the urgency in the officers voice was over-dramatized and that the situation wasn't as bad as it seemed. Finn is lost in his own thoughts as well wondering what happened to Rory and how she ended up being headed to the hospital.

 **I hope you all enjoyed the above chapter. I know some of it may seem a little out there, but it is how it came to me. The mystery man will be revealed in the next chapter, but I hope you are enjoying the hints I have been dropping about him.**


	4. Chapter 4

Hello lovely readers! This chapter is a little delayed due to a long work week, but my creative juices were flowing and I hope you all like this chapter. In this chapter, we get to see a hint of a pairing that I have been working towards since the beginning of this story. Please feel free to read and review.

As always, all rights go the the creators of Gilmore Girls.

 **Chapter 4**

As we get closer to the hospital, the paramedic looks over at me and states, "When we go to take you both out of here, we are going to have you lay down on your side on a gurney. You can still hold Rose, but it is easiest to push the gurney's with people laying down instead of sitting up and with the knife where it is a wheelchair is not an option."

I nod my head and we pull up to the hospital. The team slams the door open and he stands up and steps out carefully offering me his hand. I step down from the ambulance and set Rose carefully down. She starts to cry slightly, but then I follow suit and lay on my side next to her. My presence seems to calm her. They start to push the gurney into the hospital and I let a single tear slide down my check. They push me into a room and then the group around me disappears. I can hear voices murmuring outside the door about me and I hear the brief word of child protective services. I sit up quickly and gently pick Rose up off of the gurney. I hold her to my chest and look around the room carefully. I sit there scared for Rose and myself for a few minutes before a female doctor comes in with the police officer from my apartment. The police officer looks at me carefully before she says, "Rory, I called your friend and they are on their way. Doctor Edgerton here is concerned about your condition though and the possibility for a rapid decline. We were hoping that you would let me take Rose and watch her while we wait for your friend to get here, that way they can take care of you."

I shake my head and look at Doctor Edgerton before saying, "No offense to your opinion, but I am doing fine right now and I am not going to hand my baby off to some stranger. You can wait to take care of my injuries until I have someone I trust here to take care of her or you can refuse to treat me, but either way I am not giving my child to either of you."

Doctor Edgerton looks at me questionably before stating, "Miss Hayden, I know you may think that you are doing fine right now, but you have very serious injuries and at any moment your condition could worsen. Isn't doing what is best for your baby also doing what is best for you?"

I shake my head and say, "If that happens, so be it. I would rather be here for my child then worried about some possibility. You don't know what is best for my child and it isn't your place to try and tell me how I should parent her. I have given up much for her and I would give up even more if it took that."

They look at me questionably and then I hear a ruckus coming from outside the room. The officer steps out of the room and I hear the noise calm down some. Donny walks into the room and walks slowly toward me. I look carefully down at Rose in my arms and lean carefully down to kiss her forehead. I then whisper, "My sweet dear Rose, mommy love you. Behave for Donny and know that you will be back by my side soon."

I kiss her forehead one more time and then carefully hand her off to Donny. Every time I give her someone for babysitting I always say the same thing and it seems to keep her calm. She is very attached to me which is really why I was not willing to hand her off to a stranger. Donny steps out of the room with Rose and as the door closes behind him, I can hear a loud cry escape out of my baby. I shake my head and look towards the door. The police officer comes back into the room and I can hear Rose still crying out. I look at both the doctor and the officer and then carefully try to get up. I know that I can't leave my baby in distress just for my well being. Doctor Edgerton looks towards me and says, "Careful Miss Hayden. Your baby is fine. Let us take care of you now."

I shake my head and look back towards the door, Rose's cries echoing in my ears. I stand up and carefully head towards the door. After about 3 steps though, I can feel my strength give out and I collapse to the ground. Doctor Edgerton pushes the officer to the door and calls out, "Get out of our way and let us take care of her."

I feel a little strength come back into me, but ultimately I don't try to get up. Doctor Edgerton probes gently around the knife in my back and I gasp in pain. She swears under her breathe slightly, but then I finally decided to start getting up. She pushes me to the ground before saying, "Rory, your baby is fine. You may not be able to take care of her if you don't let me take care of you."

I freeze and nod my head slightly. A team of doctors come rushing into the room and I feel myself getting woozy again even as I lay on the floor. The team starts to try and lift me up onto a gurney. As they do so, I fall into a state of unconsciousness. The last thing I hear before I fall into the darkness is, "Rory, come on, stay with us."

 **Outside the hospital room**

When they had arrived at the hospital, the team had fought telling Donny any information about Rory or Rose. He pulled out the living well which showed that only two people were allowed to make decisions about Rory's well being if she was unable to and he was one of them. Finn had stayed outside the hospital trying to get a hold of Lorelei or Emily, but was unsuccessful at this late hour. After finally getting some information from the hospital, Donny got a little annoyed with the police officers who were to confirm his identity before letting him into assist with Rose. After a particularly loud outburst, a female officer came out of a room. She looked at Donny and stated, "Mr. Rogers, please calm down. I understand you are concerned about both girls well beings, but right now we need you to stay calm."

Donny looked over at the female officer before finally asking, "What is Rory's condition?"

The female officer had watched him carefully before stating, "Rory's been stabbed and has refused medical assistance until someone she knows can take Rose. We need you to calmly go in there, get Rose, and come out so that the doctors can assist Rory."

Donny nodded his head and carefully walked into the room. He could see some of the injuries to Rory and said nothing to fight saying something he might regret. He watched Rory whisper to Rose and knew exactly what she was saying. Anytime he had watched Rose for Rory she always said the same mantra to Rose. He takes Rose and walks out the room. As the door closes, Rose cries out in fright and confusion. He carefully tries to calm her, but ultimately knows that right now all that would calm Rose is her mother and that can't happen right that moment. Suddenly he is pushed further away from the door as a medical team rushes into the room he just left. He looks up to see Finn in front of him staring confused at the door. He walks towards Finn and says, "It's not good, man. She was stabbed by someone."

Finn looks at Donny with extreme concern and looks at the crying Rose with concern. They sit down in a waiting room near Rory's room and both watch in concern as a gurney with Rory is rushed out of the room. When Finn saw the gurney coming out of the room, he almost rushed towards it, but Donny had stopped him telling him that they needed to let the team do their work. Finn started to pass about 2 hours into the night at about 2 am. He looked over at the exhausted Donny and the still screaming Rose. He didn't know what to expect when he came to the town and he most definitely didn't expect to be sitting outside of a hospital room of one Rory Gilmore, less then 24 hours of running into her. In truth, when she had left Logan in New Hampshire and looked at him and told him that she would miss him the most, he knew it was true. He also knew in his heart that he would miss her most of all as well. Since Logan had laid a claim on her, he had never dared to do anything to reach out towards her romantically. Now it was different though. They had all thought that Logan had finally gotten Rory to commit permanently to him, but finding out the truth it was even better, at least for Finn. Finn knew that now would be the only time that he could really reach out to Rory because she was on her own and Logan had no further claim over her. He knew that now may not be the right time, but he hoped they would be able to rekindle a friendship and then maybe a romantic relationship from their. Watching Rose scream and cry without her mother made Finn wonder how much Rory really did on her own and how much she let others help her. He looks over at Donny and finally asks, "Rose seems pretty attached to Rory. I know there is that mother/daughter bond, but even when my nieces and nephews were born they weren't this attached to their mothers. Does Rory often let others assist with Rose or does she do most of it on her own?"

Donny looks over at him and states, "While Rory and Rose have a town that loves them and supports them, Rory seems to remain aloof with a lot of the town and tries to do most of it on her own. She has a select few, my wife and I included, that she will let watch Rose, but ultimately she doesn't try to be a burden. I think that is part of the reason why Rose is so attached to her, but also in the long run they only have each other. No husband to take the burden from Rory. Occasionally, Rose's grandfather will come to town, but ultimately it is Rory on her own taking care of Rose."

Finn nods his head and is almost certain the grandfather Donny is talking about is Rory's father. If only he knew his name, Finn would contact him to be here. Donny had mentioned contacting one other man that was part of the emergency plan, but ultimately wouldn't give the information to Finn. Finn wonders almost if Rory has a boyfriend that she didn't tell him about, but a large part of him hopes that it isn't true. Hours later, Donny carefully handed an exhausted Rose to Finn as he headed out to make a phone call. Standing out the emergency doors, he was about to make the phone call when he saw the person he was looking for coming towards him. The man looks at him and says, "Donny, tell me how is she?"

Donny looks at him and says, "Mitchum, it's not good. She was stabbed. Rose is about to pass out of exhaustion, but she hasn't stopped crying since I took her from her mother."

Mitchum looks over at Donny before heading into the emergency room. He is shocked to see Finn sitting in one of the chairs holding a now unconscious Rose. Finn looks up in surprise to see Mitchum before saying, "What are you doing here, Mitchum?"

Mitchum looks at him carefully and before he responds nods towards Rose and asks, "Did she just pass out?"

Finn nods his head and Mitchum states, "I am here to support my grandchild and her mother, even if my dimwitted son wanted to fall for some crazy floozies methods."

AUTHORS NOTE PS I know one of my reviewers were hoping that the mystery man would be Tristan, but alas that is not how I had it planned. I have decided though to add a mention of Tristan into one of the upcoming chapters. I hope you enjoy the story as it has come to me though.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello lovely readers! I first off want to apologize for the delay on this chapter. Work and life got a little hectic last week. Also, parts of this chapter were harder to write than I thought they would be. I want to thank everyone who has read, reviewed, followed, and favorited. Knowing that all you enjoys this helps push me past my writer block when I need it most. I hope you all enjoy this next installment to the story.**

 **PS All rights go to the creators of the show.**

 **PPS In righting a plot error, I caught a glaring plot hole I had to fix in this chapter. It is now fixed and ultimately doesn't change anything, but that is fixed now.**

Chapter 5

Finn's mind runs through a mix of confusion about Mitchum's sudden appearance and the statement that he had just made about Logan's relationship. He knew that ultimately Mitchum and Shira had never really liked anyone that Logan picked out for himself. Mitchum had been the one to start the relationship between Logan and Odette, so Finn knew that he must have be upset when that fell apart. Finally he looks over towards Mitchum and asks, "What are you talking about, Mitchum?"

Mitchum looks questionably towards Finn again and almost scoffs in response to the question asked of him. He finally states, "Finn, this is not a time or place to have that conversation. At some point in the future, I will go over all that I know with you, but right now our focus needs to be on Rory and Rose's safety."

Finn is unsure of how to respond to Mitchum's statement, but before her can say anything Donny returns into the waiting room. Mitchum looks at Donny and questions, "When the police talked to you, did they mention anything about suspects?"

Donny shakes his head and Mitchum continues stating, "Hopefully they will have some more information that they can share with us. Has anything come out about Rory's condition?"

As Mitchum was asking that question, an exhausted looking doctor comes into the waiting room walking towards Donny. The man looks at Donny and then at Mitchum before asking, "I assume that you are the other man mentioned on Miss Hayden's living will. If that is so, could you both step aside with me?"

Mitchum and Donny step out of the open air waiting room and into a small private office off to the side. Finn sits carefully almost on the edge of his seat while still gently holding Rose. A large part of him wants to be in that office finding out what is going on with Rory, but he also knows that he has no right to be. He thinks back to the countless times since New Hampshire that he had wanted to call Rory, but he never took the chance because he was afraid for the confirmation that she was happy with Logan. He wonders knowing what he does now what difference it would have made for Rory. It would have given her someone to care and support her during her pregnancy, even if everyone she most trusted pushed her away. When Rory had told him of her mother's reaction he had be blasted away that someone could say things those cruel to Rory. Of course he could be wrong about how she would have reacted to his call and for all he knows she could have pushed him away for her independence. All of a sudden, Finn hears a loud slamming of a chair and an angered Mitchum comes storming out of the private area. He walks around in a circle in front of Finn pushing Finn to cautiously ask him, "What did the doctor say, Mitchum?"

Mitchum looks up in his anger at Finn and looks carefully at Rose in his arms. The sight of her peaceful resting, even if brought on by an exhausted manic state, helps to calm him. He looks at Finn and knows that he isn't asking to fight him, but out of concern. He finally responds stating, "The doctor says that she is out of surgery, but they are keeping her in isolation right now because she coded twice on the table and they are worried that any additional stress may cause her to code again."

Finn looks at Mitchum and feels a tear start to slide down his cheek. He didn't even realize that he had started to cry, but ultimately it doesn't surprise him. He is extremely grateful that the doctors were able to bring her back the two times she coded, but he was also concerned that her injuries were so bad that they caused that. A part of him starts to wonder how someone could do something so horrendous to this sweet innocent women while the rest of him marvels at her ability to stay so calm for Rose. He had always seen Rory as strong, but this was an incredible strength that he didn't realize she had about her. He finally questionably states, "Did they say how long it would be until we could see her?"

Mitchum watches Finn carefully and is surprised to see the tears flowing from his eyes. He knew that through his son, Finn had become friends with Rory, but did not realize that the boys feelings were of any more then a common friendship. Before he gets a chance to respond to Finn's question though, he gets a call from his pilot. He looks down at the phone and steps out of the hospital to answer it. Mitchum answers it and it is his pilot asking for the go ahead to fly Logan back to London. He approves it although he wonders why Logan was in town and didn't spend any time with any of the family members. He knew that Logan had flown in a few days earlier, but ultimately was surprised that he was leaving now without so much as a word. Mitchum enters the hospital again and decides to sit down next Finn. He looks over at Finn and states, "Sorry for the delay on the answer to your question. The doctors are hoping that later today they will be able to let us in to see Rory, but they are unsure on when it will be."

As Finn ponders this statement, Donny comes calmly out of the little office and looks carefully at Mitchum before saying, "If you had kept your cool in their Mitchum, you would have learned that they will be moving us to the isolation waiting room upstairs. They stated that it is a little less hectic up their which might help keep Rose somewhat calmer."

Finn looks down at Rose in his arms and then up at Donny and Mitchum. He knows that he ultimately has things to do that day for the hotel and that in reality he has no claim to be there, but he knows he can't leave. He stands up carefully to not startle the sleeping Rose and is happy now to have the practice from his nieces and nephews. He looks at Donny and says, "Would you mind taking her? I want to try and reach Rory's mother or grandmother again."

Before Donny can respond, Mitchum carefully states, "What do you mean try to reach them again?"

Donny looks confused between Finn and Mitchum wondering what Mitchum and Rory had never told him. Finn looks at Mitchum and says, "When I ran into Donny last night, he questioned if I knew of Rory's family and since I do, I answered accordingly. Per his instruction, I tried to call both Lorelai and Emily last night, but do the hour neither answered. I left no messages as it was not a thing to leave messages regarding, especially since I know that her and Rory's relationship is currently rocky."

He states the last part a little curtly hoping that it will draw an answer out of Mitchum as to why he had not already tried to reach out to Lorelai. Before the conversation can continue though, one of the nurses walks up to them to escort them up to the Isolation waiting room. From watching her interactions with the three men, you can tell that she can sense the strife between them, but ultimately she stays silent. They four of them remain silent in the elevator ride and she leaves them in the room by themselves with the statement that the doctor will come talk to them if they have any updates. Finn sits down carefully still holding Rose as Mitchum looks at him and then looks around the deserted room. Mitchum finally takes a defeated sigh and sits down in one of the chairs across from Finn. Donny follows suit and sits down next to Mitchum. Mitchum finally states to Finn, "It is not my place to tell you what happened between Rory and her mother, but I will say that it ultimately has impacted Rory's plan for emergencies. The living will we have been following is very clear on who needs to be contacted, Donny and I, and who has control making decisions for her, if she is not able to. Her mother, grandmother, and father have all been left out of this. This is mostly because of the fall out with her mother and Rory knew that if her grandmother or father were contacted, that they would share that information with her mother. Rory does not want her mother anywhere near her or Rose. If Lorelai was to show up when Rory is incapacitated, it was set that Lorelai is not allowed to see Rose at all. This is Rory's wish and we all need to follow it."

Finn can sense Mitchum's glare focusing on him on the last statement. A large part of him wants to throw it in Mitchum's face that he already knows about what happened between Rory and her mother, but he stops himself before getting himself in trouble. Finn respects Rory's wishes, but ultimately holds one question for Mitchum which he asks, "How would you feel if this was Logan or Honor? Would you want to know?"

Mitchum stares intensely at Finn and ponders the question. He knows ultimately that he would want to know if Logan or Honor was hurt, but also that he trusts them to reach out to him when needed. Mitchum finally responds stating, "My children know when to reach out to me and I trust them to do as such. Like Logan is currently flying back to London after being in the area for a few days without seeing his mother or I, but I am fine with it as he knows when to reach out to us."

Finn freezes upon hearing the statement from Mitchum. When he had talked to Logan yesterday, he had been in London from what Finn gathered and he didn't think his friend would lie to him. He questions Mitchum, "What did you just say about Logan leaving town?"

Finn can see Mitchum's slight annoyance as he says, "I stated that Logan is leaving town after coming into town a few days ago without seeing his mother or I."

Finn shakes his head and says to Mitchum, "Doesn't that seem a bit odd to you? Logan normally doesn't come into town out of nowhere without seeing anyone he is connected to. I talked to him yesterday and it sounded like he was in London. Was he lying to me or was someone lying to you?"

Before Mitchum can respond, Donny let's out a little exasperated sigh next to him and says, "Men, does any of this really matter right now? Rory is in one of those rooms right now recovering from being stabbed. How is this conversation going to help with that at all?"

Mitchum nods his head and says, "Your right, it won't. Now Finn you asked me what I meant earlier with my comment on Sally. Do you want to hear the story I have been told?"

Finn nods his head, wondering and pondering what Mitchum could know about Logan's mystery woman. He didn't know anything more than her name and that Logan seemed to be happy with her, but he knows that he needs to know more. Mitchum starts spinning his tale, saying, "Now I have heard this story second hand from the family of her last mark as he has gone into deep hiding to avoid her and her craziness. About 2 years ago, one Tristan Dugrey had a run in with a girl by the name of Amanda Wood, a small town girl with very little to her name. About October of last year, after Logan and Rory separated for the final time he meet a woman know as Sally Lancaster. Now of course this Sally Lancaster and Amanda Wood are one in the same, but back to Tristan Dugrey I shall return as I am getting to far ahead of myself. He meet and fell for Amanda, even proposing to her after only 4 months together. She accepted and as they were planning the wedding Tristan noticed that his down to earth bride was becoming very focused on the cost and appearance of their wedding According to his family, he started to realize that he was engaged to a gold digger and station jumper, but by then he was to in love to break it off. Even though it was a society wedding they planned it quickly hoping to get married by August of last year. About a month before the wedding though, Tristan caught Amanda in bed with the driver. He was distraught and called off the wedding, but Amanda went crazy stating that he couldn't get out of this now and she wasn't going to let him go. He threw her out of the house, calling off the engagement and breaking up with her, but that was not the last he would see of her. She started to throw out gossip about Tristan to friends, family, and even the papers after the broken engagement saying he beat her and cheated on her. In some way, it was her sick twisted way of trying to get him back. At one point, she also had a paper write up a false article on their dream wedding and marriage being celebrated. Shortly after this article which came out right after their canceled wedding date Tristan had a run in with Amanda and told her once and for all he was done with her. She didn't take it well and beat him. Being a military school graduate, he was able to take a lot from her, so he was able to withstand serious damage, but did come out covered in bruises. Even after beating him, Amanda wouldn't leave Tristan alone so in September he ended up faking his own death and is living somewhere unknown under an assumed name. His parents don't know his current location or name, but they are hopeful that at some point Amanda will do something crazy enough to be caught, jailed, and that their son will be able to come home. It seems like the faked death helped Amanda drop the play toy that was her relationship with Tristan. Shortly after his staged death, she changed her name and moved to London which I think was an attempt to ensnare Logan all along. I don't know how they originally met, but I know he was having an affair with her from about the middle of October. When Rory came to town, she got wind of it and Logan I assume told her about Rory's news, so she staged it so Odette would catch Logan and her together. In breaking up his engagement with Odette, Sally became his main focus and they became even closer, including her moving in. Since he is so focused on her right now, I don't believe she senses Rory or Rose as a threat currently, but I am fearful for a day where she might decide they are a threat towards her future possibility of money."

Finn shakes his head in disbelief after hearing the long story Mitchum shared. He was not friends with Tristan Dugrey, but through all the society norms he and his family had been invited to the wedding. He didn't have a care in the world about it and didn't even really notice when the event was canceled. He remembers going to Tristan's 'funeral' that past fall and wonders how Tristan's family could have done all that knowing their son was really alive somewhere. Finn looks at Mitchum and questions, "I know Donny said it doesn't matter, but maybe we have the key to who hurt Rory and we just don't know it. My question is this: if it wasn't Logan flying back to London, as I assume it wasn't, who is flying back to London right now?"

Mitchum looks towards Finn and starts to ponder the question wondering if it is who they both think it maybe, how did she know where Rory was? Also, what set her off to send her after Rory?"

 **In the Isolation Wing hospital room**

I start to stir carefully from a slumber which I know is not natural. I try to get my thoughts clear remembering where I am. I carefully fight the urge to open my eyes as I want to sit in only my memories for a short while longer. I remember being stabbed by Sally, holding Rose, coming to the hospital, giving Rose to Donny, and her screams after leaving the room. I finally open my eyes, wondering where my child was. As I look around the room I realize that I am alone. A slight fear starts to weed through my body as I wonder where Rose was. I look at my arm and see countless tubes and wires connecting me to different machines. I know that I need to stay put or else all of these machines will alert the hospital to the fact that I am awake. My mind seems to be going a million miles an hour as I try to figure out what happened after I heard Rose's cries, but I know it is futile. Suddenly, I hear the door knob turn and almost scream as I watch Sally walk through the door holding a black bundle about the size of Rose. She closes the door behind her and looks at me with a sinister grin. She walks through the room and says, "Ah, sweet innocent Rory, I told you I'd be back to get you and your sweet innocent daughter."

Before I can say anything, she pulls out a knife and stabs it down into the black bundle in her arms. Blood seeps from the bundle and I scream out in agony. All of a sudden the door slams open and I turn towards it to see a nurse coming sprinting in. I turn my gaze back towards where Sally was and sees it empty. I look around the room paranoid, as the nurse runs up to me and starts to check me over. She finally calmly asks, "What hurts?"

I look over at the nurse and say almost hysterically, "Nothing hurts. Where is Rose? She had a bundle, it may have been Rose, and she stabbed it. Where is Rose?"

I can hear the monitor for my heart skyrocketing as I look around the room carefully trying to figure out where Sally had gone and needing to know if that bundle was Rose. The nurse follows my gaze and calmly says, "Rose is out in the waiting room with your friends. She is fine. Who had a bundle?"

I look back at her, almost certain now that that bundle was Rose. I shake myself from the stupor I was slowly sliding towards, not hearing her words. I just loudly start repeating myself, "Where is Rose? Where is she? Where is Rose? Where is she? I need to see my baby. Where is my baby?"

The nurse looks at me with concern and hits a button on the bed next to me. I still continue my rant of the same questions over and an over again. A doctor walks into the room and looks at my stats and hears my rambles. He quickly heads back out of the room. After a few minutes, the doctor returns through the door, but this time he has Finn and a sleeping Rose with him. I breath an almost sigh of relief at seeing my sweet little girl in his arms and knowing that she is safe. I look around the room again confused wondering what I has saw. The nurse who had come in gently takes my hand and says, "It's alright. No one here is going to hurt you. Rose is fine and you are safe."

I look over at her and cautiously ask, "No one was in the room when you came in?"

She shakes her head and I look again towards Finn. I can see the concern in his eyes and wonder what he is doing at the hospital. I assumed it would be Donny and Mitchum out in the waiting room working on comforting Rose. I am not unhappy about his presence here as I know he has always helped calm me and know that he has probably been doing the same for Rose. He looks over at the doctor and asks, "Would it be alright if I brought Rose over to her?"

The doctor nods his head and Finn walks closer to me. The nurse moves a chair next to me and Finn sits down still carefully holding Rose. He looks at me and says, "Rory, I'm glad to see you awake and I know Rose is too."

I smile at him and I can see the doctor and nurse are both happy with my heart rate slowing. Finn looks at the machine and chuckles before saying, "Even when you were with Logan, I always seemed to be the one who could help you relax. It is good to know I still have the same effect."

I chuckle softly and then look at Rose asleep in his arms. The doctor and nurse head out of the room quietly. I finally say, "Yeah, you've always been good at that and looks like Rose responds to you the same way as well. How has she been doing?"

I watch as Finn's eyes light up as he says, "No, she doesn't. She only relaxes for her mama and with her mama hurt she wasn't going to calm down for anybody until she crashed from exhaustion."

I know that I should ultimately be considered about my own condition, but my first priority as it has been since the day I came back from London is Rose. I smile at her and then look up at Finn and say, "Thank you Finn, for being here for Rose and I. I know you didn't have to be, but thank you for being here even if I don't quite know how it worked out."

He chuckles softly under his breath and says, "You are most definitely welcome, Rory. Ultimately, I have no place I would rather be at this moment. When I ran into Donny last night and he told me that you were hurt, everything else flew out of my mind. I know that it may seem crazy at a time like this me saying any of this, but ultimately when someone you care dearly about almost leaves you it makes you realize how important they are to you. I never said anything to you in or before your time with Logan, but I have always fancied you. I loved the friendship we were able to have and the time we were able to spend together, but I always wanted a little bit more. Today, sitting in that waiting room not knowing what was going on with your health made me realize how much I wish I could have been there for you and hating myself for not being their. I want to be the person you call for every big or small moment in your life. I don't want to live another moment of my life regretting things that I haven't said. I love you, Rory Gilmore!"

 **A/N: I hope this long chapter makes up for the delay and I wanted to let you know that for most of the story I have a general idea of how it is going to flow, but sometimes the characters throw something out there for me and it is a surprise to me, just as much as it is to you. I'll let you think about what the characters threw at me this chapter ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone! I am the worst and I apologize for the great delay in this chapter. I got a bad case of writer's block and then future parts of the story kept coming to the forefront when I tried to brainstorm for this chapter. I now have it completed and hope you guys don't hate me for some of what I do in this chapter. I hope to have the next chapter up quicker then this one was, but we shall ultimately see what I can do. I also want to add to this note that I am not a doctor, so any medical situations I write are completely falsified and I understand in the real world it may not work like this.**

 **All credit goes where it is do.**

Chapter 6

I sit stunned as I hear Finn's words, the machines next to me start to blip a little faster and Finn looks at them concerned. He looks back to me as I sit still trying to formulate a response to all he said, but before I can say anything, he says, "Look Rory, forget about everything I just said. This is not the time nor the place to be making any statements like that. Please forgive me for my statement."

I watch him carefully holding Rose and can see the care he is giving to the task. All through my relationship with Logan he had always been so goofy, but also caring at the same time. He always knew when to quit being goofy and be serious. It just amazed me at that time that he could go from jovial to serious in no time flat to help me out of whatever situation I was in. This time though he was being the opposite. I could see the truth to the words he had spoken, even if I don't know quite how to respond to them, but then he so casually brushed it off like it didn't matter. I finally look in his eyes and carefully ask, "Are you saying that you recant your statements?"

He nods his head and I see a slight stir in Rose. I know I will need time to process everything that just happened, but ultimately as always Rose comes first and even though I'm wondering why my heart feels like it is breaking into a thousand pieces I have to push that away for her. The machines calm down a little bit in their beeping, but before I can respond to the slowly waking Rose, one of the doctors returns to the room with the female police officer from earlier. The officer looks at Finn and Rose and asks politely, "Would you mind exiting the room so that I could ask Miss Hayden some questions in private?"

Finn nods his head and stands up leaving the room, followed by the doctor. The officer takes Finn's place in the seat next to me and asks, "Now Miss Hayden, would you be able to tell me about the altercation that occurred earlier tonight?"

I look over at her and my mind starts to process all that happened before the hospital. The attack and Sally's threat are at the forefront of my mind leaving me wondering about the safety of outing my attacker. I know that it would probably be best to tell the officer the truth of who attacked me and why, but I also know that the police never did anything against her when she attacked Tristan so what would make this time different. As I am thinking over all of this, I also can hear the machines start to blip faster and faster. I start to formulate my response and state, "I really am not sure what all to say."

Before I can say anything else though, my heart beat continues to race and I feel my eyes roll back into my head. I collapse onto the gurney and for a brief second in almost an out of body experience I hear the machines give a flat line sound.

 **Meanwhile out in the waiting room**

Finn walked out of the hospital room containing Rory to let the officer take her statement. He returns with the confused, dazed Rose to the waiting room where he passes her off to Donny. He collapses into the chair unsure of why he said anything that he did, but mostly unsure why he decided to recant his statements. He knows that what he said was true, but he thinks that perhaps now was not the right time to say any of it. Finn drops his head into his hands, but is surprised to hear foot steps near him. He looks up to see Mitchum standing next to him. Mitchum states, "How is she, Finn?"

Finn looks at Mitchum and thinks back to when the doctors came rushing in and grabbed him to come into the room because he was the one holding Rose at that moment. He was shocked to see Rory who was such a strong force to be reckoned with most of the time, so scared and small. He wasn't quite sure what had transpired before he had been brought into the room, but he could see the fear still present in her eyes. He finally looks up at Mitchum and says, "She's scared and traumatized. I think she may have had a vivid hallucination of something. After I entered the room, she asked the nurse if no one else was in the room when she came in. I wonder if she was having a hallucination about whoever attacked her."

Mitchum nods his head and asks, "I am not surprised if she is scared or traumatized right now, but she has Donny, Rose, the towns people, and I all here to support her in her recovery. Is there a reason why you left the room when you did?"

Finn listens carefully to Mitchum's statement and hears how he carefully worded who would be around to support Rory. He tries not to think that it was purposeful, but he also has known Mitchum long enough to know that he never does anything without purpose. He can feel a little anger building up as he angrily asks, "What about me? Do I get to be their to support her in her recovery?"

Mitchum looks at Finn and can sense the anger coming off of him, but he also knows that Finn's involvement with Rory puts an even greater target on her and Rose's backs. He also feels that Finn can't just show up out of the blue and expect to be trusted with the job of supporting Rory. He finally responds with the same amount of anger back at Finn stating, "No, you don't get to be there to support her. You have never been their to support her and you won't be their to support her now. You can continue being Logan's friend and supporting his relationship with Sally, but you don't get to blow in and out of Rory and Rose's lives whenever you please. She was doing perfectly fine before you blew into town and she doesn't need any more of the damage from you being around her! If it was up to me, you wouldn't even be in this hospital right now!"

Finn looks at him and jumps up to face Mitchum. He balls his hands, but before he can respond to Mitchum's statements Donny jumps between them. Donny spreads his arms out between Mitchum and Finn and states sternly, "Stop this silly argument, both of you. We need to focus on helping Rory and this is not helping Rory."

\- "Everyone clear, clear!" -

Finn fights his urge to push out at Donny, but he angrily looks towards Mitchum and says, "Are you saying this is all my fault? I'm not the one that pushed her into isolation!"

Mitchum looks across Donny towards Finn and almost shouts, "Yes I am! I didn't push her to isolation, but no one else was out there to support her!"

\- "Still flat lined, again, Clear!" -

Before Finn can respond to Mitchum's statement, all three men are shocked to be shoved apart by the female police officer. She looks at both Mitchum and Finn and says, "Stop this or I will arrest both of you. This is not what your friend needs right this moment."

Finn looks at the police officer and cautiously asks, "Are you done with your questioning of Rory?"

The police officer looks back at Finn and says carefully, "No, I am not. Unfortunately, she flat lined during our conversation and the doctors are trying to bring her back right now."

Both Finn and Mitchum collapse into chairs and look out into the hallway almost hoping or praying that everything will go alright.

–- Beep, beep, beep. "There we go, we got her back." -

The police officer looks towards Mitchum and Finn, but before she can say anything else one of the doctors comes running into the room. He looks at the officer and the men and states, "We got her back."

Finn looks up relieved as he was again not ready to think of a life without the lovely Rory. Mitchum looks at the doctor and the police officer again carefully. The doctor then looks back and forth between Finn and Mitchum before stating, "The only visitor she is going to be allowed right away when she comes to will be her daughter and the man currently holding her. You two (pointing at Mitchum and Finn) are banned from the room until she is more stable because if you can't keep it calm between yourselves then I can't expect you to keep calm for her health."

Finn and Mitchum both nod their heads in almost defeat. Mitchum desperately wants to get in to talk to Rory to figure out what happened and who injured her. The doctor then looks towards the police officer and says, "You will have to wait to ask your questions until she is more stable as well. We don't want remembering or trying to tell of the attack to send her into a downward spiral again either."

The police officer nods her head and then says, "Of course doctor. You will let me know when I can question her again, correct?"

The doctor nods his head and then heads back off to take care of Rory. About an hour later, Donny and Rose are escorted into Rory's hospital room where she has come to again, this time much calmer then the last.

 **In the hospital room**

A short while after I had crashed and the doctors brought me back, I awoke into a room this time filled with the chaos of doctors and nurses trying to ensure that I would come back and be healthy. After less then an hour of being checked over by them, they approved me to have Rose return to the room, but told me that I could not hold her currently until my health status improved even more. Now she and Donny have come into the room which leaves me questioning why Donny is the one bringing her in now not Finn or Mitchum. Donny smiles at me and says carefully, "Hello, miss Rose has missed her mommy."

I smile at him and Rose who I can see calmly behaving in his arms. I am excited to see that she seems to have calmed down after her terror from being taken from me earlier. I smile and say, "Well mommy has missed miss Rose as well."

Donny turns Rose carefully so I can see her face and I light up as I watch her see me. She babbles quietly and smiles at me. I smile back and then look up at Donny before carefully asking, "Not that I don't love seeing you Donny, but is there a reason out of the three men out there you are the one they sent in with Rose this time?"

Donny looks at me and I can see he is contemplating how to respond to my question. He finally states, "Mitchum and Finn got in an argument and have been both informed they can't come into your hospital room until the doctors have had a little more time to make sure you are stable."

I wonder what the argument could have been over, but also know that I really have to avoid taking the time to ask him about it. I think over everything that had happened since yesterday when I met Finn for the interview and wonder what could have been different if he had never come to town or if we hadn't interacted when he was in town. I also think back to the statements he made, even if he recanted them, and think over the fact that he was always Logan's friend first. I couldn't ask Finn to pick Rose and I over Logan and I couldn't let him make the decision himself. I know as I have done since our meeting yesterday that ultimately I will have to push him away because I can't cause the break of the friendship between him and Logan. I look at Donny and finally carefully say, "Thank you for telling me."

He nods his head and says, "Now Rory, I know you have always been hesitant to talk about your family or about Rose's father, but I have to ask you a question. What happened that caused you to push your mother away?"

I think back over the friendship that my mother and I had had while I was growing up, but that is all overshadowed by the words she spewed with anger at me while discussing my pregnancy with Rose. I look at Donny and carefully say, "I know Donny that I have been horrible in keeping so many secrets from you, but expecting so much. In regards to my mother, it wasn't originally me that pushed my mother away, but her who pushed me away. She and I were much more like best friends then mother/daughter as I grew up because she had me at 16. As I got older and went off to college, Yale to be exact, we had some split differences over how I was living my life. My involvement with Rose's father, Logan, being one of those differences. When I graduated from Yale, Logan proposed to me and I said not right now. He told me it had to be now or never and we broke it off. We meet up a few years later and started up a fling. A few years into this fling, his father forced him into an engagement with a socialite, as the family never approved of me. After the engagement started, I continued on with the fling right up until his fiancee moved in with him in his apartment in London. I broke it off, but a few weeks later he whisked me off my feet with a gallivanting trip to New Hampshire and little Rose was created that night. I gave him my final good bye the next morning and walked off none the wiser of what we had created that night. I learned of my pregnancy a few days before my mother's wedding and I let her know after her wedding of my pregnancy. At first she was excited, but then when she returned from her honeymoon she attacked me verbally. The biggest thing that pushed me to run from home though was that she called my baby a mistake. I compared her to my grandmother and stormed out of the house. I headed promptly off to London, to tell Logan of my pregnancy. He shunned me as well stating that he loved his fiancee, Odette, and did not want to take any claim on our child. I left London devastated knowing that I could not return home and that I needed to head somewhere away from those who knew me. I didn't want to interrupt Logan's life anymore then I had already done and to preserve his relationship with Odette, I decided to hide myself from the world. This was started by going under a false name and finding a place where no one knew me. This city drew me in with how closely it resembles my home town. That first day when I walked into your diner, so lost and alone, the way you treated me, a complete stranger, solidified that this was the town I needed to stay in. I think I was drawn so easily to trust you most out of all the town members because you remind me so much of my step-father. He and my mother just married recently, but he has always been a father figure in my life. He owns a diner like you and is a friend to all, but he can be gruff when needed as well. Overall, I know I have given you more information then you requested, but ultimately I keep my mother out of my life because she told me my baby was a mistake and I couldn't let my child live with that surrounding them."

I can see Donny's mind processing all the statements that I had just made. I turn my gaze from him to Rose and smile at her as I quietly whisper under my breath, "Rose, no matter what, know that you were never a mistake. I loved you from the first moment I knew about you."

I see Donny smile as he hears my words and he looks down at Rose and says, "You just threw a lot at me, would it be alright if I ask a few questions?"

I nod my head and he states, "First off, is Mitchum your father or Logan's father?"

I look at him and say carefully, "He is Logan's father. At first he didn't like me, but he somehow learned of my pregnancy and found me here. He was the first person to show real excitement for my pregnancy besides myself which ultimately surprised me."

Donny nods his head and then asks, "So that may answer my next question, but if Mitchum is Rose's grandfather on Logan's side why did he force an engagement when you were having your fling with his son?"

I think back over everything that happened and remember how hard Logan and I had been hiding our fling even before Odette. I finally respond by stating, "When I first started dating Logan, his family, including Mitchum, did not approve of me because I wanted to work and a wife in that family did not work. Also, through that disdain Mitchum once told me that I did not have what it would take to be a journalist. I think this may have been one of the reasons for the forced engagement, but also my fling with his son was very well hidden so he may have not even known that we were together at the time."

Donny nods his head again and I am glad that I am finally able to open up at my life story to him. Some of the questions he may ask maybe tough, but after everything I have asked of him I know I must return the favor and answer his questions in exchange. Donny says, "Alright. Now you mentioned the number one reason you came here and changed your identity being that you wanted to protect Rose's father's relationship. Has that changed at all?"

I nod my head and remember the day that Mitchum had informed me about Sally and the kinds of behavior she may pull to keep Logan in her grasps. I say quietly, "Yes, it has changed some. I learned shortly after I was pushed away that by the time I informed him of my pregnancy, Rose's father was already in another relationship with a woman besides his fiancee."

Donny nods his head and says, "I think I have heard this story from Mitchum as he was informing Finn of the story. This woman he is dating is a woman named Sally, correct?"

I nod my head and watch Donny carefully. I can see that he is still carefully mulling over everything I had told him and know that I have to be prepared to answer any other questions he throws at me. We slowly pass the time for another hour or so discussing different things, including stories from my childhood. About an hour after Donny and Rose had entered the room, a doctor comes into the room to check my vitals and look through things. I look at him carefully as he finishes and ask, "Can I hold my daughter now?"

 **A/N: I hope you all have loved this chapter. I am very grateful for all you readers. Please leave your thoughts in the friendly comment box below.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello faithful readers! I am so, so sorry for the delay in this chapter. My characters were not behaving and kept trying to give me future story line, so I had to wrangle them back into the hospital (some great ideas for the future though, it does include a small time jump). I want to thank all of you have read this story and commented on it.**

 **Also, I wanted to say that part of what helped my characters behave was rereading one of my favorite Fanfictions which is called Cali Dreams by blueeyes1989. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it. Also, if you are looking for a Rogan it is fantastic for that need since I know my story isn't headed that directions.**

 **Anyways, thanks ever so much for your patience in me and all rights go to where they are due.**

Chapter 7

The doctor looks over at me before carefully stating, "It looks like your vitals have stabilized enough that I feel comfortable allowing you to hold your daughter."

I smile at him and carefully say, "Thank you, Doctor," and then I turn my head towards Donny and ask, "Did she eat for you at all?"

Donny looks at me and carefully says, "No. Mitchum and I both tried to feed her, but she would not eat for either of us. The doctors have been kind enough to refrigerate the bottles you brought with you so that they would be safe for her to eat."

The doctor looks back and forth between Donny and I before saying, "I think I will go grab a bottle for you. Hopefully she will eat for you."

I nod my head and watch as the doctor walks out of the room. I look towards Donny and Rose before stating, "Alright, with doctor's approval, give me my baby now."

Donny smiles at me, stands up and carefully sets Rose into my waiting arms. I smile at her and can feel her calm in my arms. In some ways, I feel the same measure of feeling course through me as I hold her. I look down at her in my arms and say, "I love you so much Rose!"

Donny looks over at me and then out the door as we both watch the doctor enter with a bottle for Rose. He smiles at me holding her and then says, "Well I can already see that both ladies in this room are perking up from being allowed to interact with each other."

He hands the bottle to me and then Donny asks him, "How long until Mitchum and Finn will be allowed in?"

The doctor looks at him and says, "Probably a little while longer. With the connection of holding Rose, I believe Ms. Hayden will continue to improve, but I want to ensure that they are calm enough to not cause any issues in the room."

Donny nods his head and I hold Rose carefully. I rearrange her in my arms and position the bottle towards her. She has always been a finicky eater for others, but Mitchum and Donny are ones that she can usually eat well for. It doesn't surprise me though that she was not willing to eat for them though because I know that she was stressed in the situation. I carefully angle the bottle and bring it to her mouth. She starts suckling quickly on the bottle and I smile. She is hungrily suckling at the bottle tip. I know the bottle isn't her preferred method of taking her milk, but with all the drugs they have been utilizing for my heath my supply won't be good for a couple of days until I can get off of the various drugs. The doctor heads out of the room again leaving Donny, Rose, and I to be. I continue to feed Rose and Donny finally states, "I know you may not want to give any of these answers right now, but I just have to ask. Do you know who hurt you?"

I look at Donny and think over everything I had processed earlier. I know that while it maybe a good thing to out Sally as my attacker that it may also backfire in multiple ways. One way is that before they caught her, she could try and attack me or Rose again and be successful this time. Another way is that Logan could become angry at me for accusing her and try to take Rose away from me. The best answer for avoiding her and avoiding the consequences is one that I wanted to avoid, but ultimately know now that I must take. I look over at him and say, "I can't answer that question to protect Rose and myself, but I can tell you a secret. I just need you to promise me that you won't tell anyone and that you will not try to fight me on this."

He looks at me and says, "I promise Rory that I will not tell anyone whatever you are about to tell me and that I will not fight you on it."

I look at him and carefully say, "I do know who hurt me, but I am not going to tell anyone to protect Rose and myself as that person has threatened to hurt us if they find us again. To avoid this, Rose and I are going to have to deploy a fail safe plan that not even Mitchum knows about. Rose and I are going to have to flee from this town. I know I can't run until I am discharged from this hospital, but there are some steps I will have to take before then. The first one is that I am going to have to ask Finn to leave the hospital. He was always Logan's friend first and I won't have him here supporting me when I had no right to him in the first place."

Donny nods his head and says, "Alright. Why are you telling me if no one else knows about this fail safe plan?"

I look at him and say, "I am telling you because you have acted like a father to me since the first day I arrived in this town and I thought that you deserved to know what happened when I disappear and why it was that I disappeared. I know I owe you so much more then I can ever give, but I am just so thankful for everything you have ever done for me."

Donny smiles at me and says, "Oh Rory, you will never have to pay me back for everything. Just getting to know you, care for you, and be considered family for you is enough. I never got to have the pleasure of having my own children, so you calling me a father figure is the greatest gift you could ever give me. I will be so disappointed when you leave, but I understand and all I care about is that you and Rose will be safe. Can I ask one favor of you?"

I smile at him and say, "Well you have been exactly what I needed when I needed it. What is the favor you have to ask of me?"

He smiles at me and looks towards Rose. I look down at her and realized I had missed that she finished the bottle and is now batting at it with her hands. I move the bottle away from her mouth and set it down on the table next to me. I position her carefully on my shoulder and burp her quickly before Donny responds to me. He states, "All I ask of you is that if it is ever safe for you to return to this town that I would like you to come back and show me how Rose has grown and how you have prospered because I know you will continue to prosper after you leave here."

I nod my head and say, "Of course, I can do that Donny. I don't know if that time will come, but I hope it does and I thank you for your never ending confidence in me. I know that I didn't make the best decisions going into everything, but I wouldn't change anything because those decisions got me Rose and the ability to meet so many great people who love and care for me. I never thought I would find another town like my own, but this town and especially you have all come to protect me and care for me so much that I have felt safe and did not have to run until now. I hope you can let everyone know how much I have appreciated everything they have ever done for me."

Donny smiles at me and looks at Rose with admiration in his eyes. I never would have thought when I ran to this town that I would find someone who I could get so close to after everything that happened, but life shocked me by throwing Donny at me. Also, the relationship I was able to grow with Mitchum shocked me as well. When he first showed up in town, I was unsure of what he was going to say or how he was going to react. I was about 5 months pregnant at the time he showed up, so I was just started to show and I knew that he had figured out about Logan's and my interludes by the end, so I was assuming he knew the baby was Logan's. I wasn't sure if he was going to call me an unfit future mother and fight for the custody for the child or tell me that Logan never loved me and I needed to abandon my child to be adopted by someone who would never know of my child's lineage. He shocked me though by comforting me and apologizing for his behavior all those years ago. He told me that he was mistaken in telling me that I was not right for his son and that I would never make it in the journalism world. At that time, he also informed me of Sally and Logan's relationship and warned me that he thought she might be a threat. It helped push me to be more vigilant of who I talked to and trusted the last few months. Mitchum had not been able to be there when Rose was born, but Donny and his wife, Clarisse, were both in the room coaching me through the birth. When Rose was born, I let Donny be the one to cut her cord and Clarisse was the first one to hold her as she passed her to me. I was ever grateful for them and everything they did. I named them Rose's godparents knowing that if anything every happened to me that they would protect her and care for her as they had done for me. Donny looks at me and carefully says, "Of course I will do that for you Rory. I know I haven't known you for long and I can understand where you think that you didn't make the best decisions, but sometimes the best decisions don't seem to be the greatest when we make them. Down the line though they can turn into the greatest decision we ever made and give us the greatest gift we could ever ask for. Look at Clarisse and I, we decided to put off having a family to run our business together and well we never got to have a family like our friends, we got to grow a good strong business and give jobs to several in the town for life or as they needed them to get past rough patches. Also, I would never have met you that fateful day if we hadn't worked hard all those years to get our business and run it."

I smile him and look down at Rose to see that she has fallen asleep in my arms. I finally say, "I guess your right there, Donny. Sometimes the greatest miracles come from the toughest decisions."

 **Authors Note: I was hoping to extend this chapter more, but I liked ending it on this line. I think the next chapter will involved Finn and Mitchum again. Possibly even Rory's great escape. Please feel free to review, follow, and favorite as you deem fit.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello everyone! I have had so many of you asking for more, so here it is. I apologize for the time between the updates, but sometimes my characters are silent and I apologize for that. I hope that you like what I have for you today and I hope to get the next update out to you soon.**

 **All rights go to those who own the content. I am just borrowing the characters.**

 **Chapter 8**

 **Outside of the hospital room**

Finn and Mitchum sit in chairs on separate ends of the same row of chairs in contemplative silence. Donny had left the room over an hour before to take Rose in to see her mother. Over all Rose hadn't been fussing that much, but she refused to eat and the doctors thought it would be best for mother and daughter to be in the same space as each other. Since their little outburst and the doctor's statements about Rory's condition, the men had yet to speak to each other again. Finn stares into space thinking about all the statements he had made to Rory and hating himself for recanting them. He knew that now may not be the right time for them, but that it may be the only time for them. She couldn't have just been thrown back into his life for no reason. He knows that he was wrong for arguing with Mitchum, but after all Mitchum was the one who had broken Rory all those years ago. He wonders what could have happened to cause Mitchum to turn his opinions around on Rory. Was Sally so much worse then he thought Rory was that it could create this relationship between them?

Mitchum sits staring down at his phone pondering and wondering about the future for Rory and Rose. He knew of the possibility of her being in danger from Sally from the stories he had heard about Tristan, but he never thought that she would get hurt. He is not even sure if this has anything to do with her connection to his son or if it was random. To his knowledge, Sally is still in London and Logan is now returning to her. He looks briefly over towards Finn and knows that he was being harsh to him about the situation. He just wants to protect both of the girls and he isn't sure if Finn being around would be best for either one of them. He believes that if Finn is around it may mean that Logan is pulled back into the picture of being near Rory and that could make Sally feel threatened. He also doesn't want Logan around Rory because he doesn't think that he would be a good match for her or a good father figure to Rose. Mitchum has come to realize the mistakes he made in his raising of Logan and he can see that Logan has taken the same traits he had when was that age. That is one of the things he regrets the most with Logan and Honor. In the past few months, he has been working harder to apologize to both of his children, but it has been much harder to do since Logan is in London and has been hiding away from both his parents to protect Sally from them. Mitchum finally stands up and moves to a chair across from Finn. He looks at Finn and says, "I'm sorry for what I said, Finn."

Finn looks up at Mitchum and says, "It's alright. You were right. When Rory walked away from Logan in New Hampshire, I stayed away from her because I had to stand by Logan's side in all of it. I should have never stayed away just because she was done being his side piece and I should have reached out. I was a horrible friend to her and while I haven't been there for her recently, I was before and I hope to be again."

Mitchum nods his head and says, "You were doing what you thought was right. I think the same could be said for many people in Rory's life."

Finn looks up at Mitchum and says, "I hate to ask this question, but I know back in college Shira and you were both so against Logan and Rory's relationship. I also know that you weren't overall Rory's best fan. What changed between then and now?"

Mitchum shakes his head as he had known that this question would be coming and he knew that he could fight the answering of it, but also he knew he needed to give this answer. He owed to Finn after his behavior earlier in the night. He looks at Finn again and says finally, "Yes indeed back when Rory and Logan were together, I was against them because I wasn't sure she would have the strength to carry the Huntzberger name and I thought he deserved someone better for a life partner. In the last couple of years and especially the last couple months, what has really changed is me and my perspective on life. I see who I was as a father raising both Logan and Honor and how much I followed in my father's footsteps. I regret so much that I did or didn't do and now I can see Logan following in my footsteps. I had ran into them before New Hampshire and I could tell something was going on then. I didn't find out about Rory's pregnancy until I called Logan after the broken engagement with Odette. I was upset and angry, he was a little drunk and he told me that Rory came to him telling him she was pregnant. He then told me how he pushed her away because he had fallen in love with this woman named Sally. I was stunned hearing all of this and hung up on him. After that day, I started to look into Rory's whereabouts. I was working hard to be covert about it because I didn't want anyone catching on to what I was checking out. I was amazed by the possibility of her carrying the Huntzberger heir and the fact she was not supported by any of us. I first checked her town and discovered she had been gone for months. One of the locals told me of a rumor that her mother and her had gotten into an argument over something and Rory hadn't been seen since then. I then moved on to looking more into Rory's background and discovered the biggest item of knowledge that I had missed about her, her father's identity. I had never realized that her father was Christopher Hayden and that she was connected to the Hayden family. I started thinking about what I knew about her and knew that no matter where she was hiding that she would never stop writing. I also knew if she had some falling out with her mother that she most likely would not be using her mother's last name, so I started using my contacts to see if anyone had a new hire named Rory Hayden working for them. Just by luck, I found out she was working at the paper here in town. I drove into town still not 100% sure what I was going to say to her, but I knew I had to be there for her. By the time I located her again, she was already about six months pregnant. I went to The Cool Place where I first met Donny and asked about her. He wasn't really wanting to give out much information on her, but ultimately while I was enjoying a lunch she entered the dinner looking for nourishment. She was shocked to see me and tried to leave without talking to me, but I convinced her to stay. I apologized to her about my son's behavior, apologized for my behavior prior to that, and just asked for a chance to be in her and my grandchild's life. She accepted my apologizes and gave me the chance. She showed me her ultrasound and told me the gender. She told me that because she didn't want to ruin Logan's relationship with Odette, she wasn't going to list him as the father or give her daughter his last name. In that moment I knew I had to tell her about Sally. I informed her that Logan was indeed not with Odette, but with a woman named Sally and had been for some while. By that time, I had done research on Sally and knew of her past with Tristan, so I warned Rory of the possibility of the threat. Over the last few month's I have gotten to know Rory much more then I ever got to know her then. I have realized some things I never understood about her that have helped change my mindset and helped improve how I am as a father figure to my children. The first thing I realized about her is that she is extremely strong. She fights for what she believes, fights to protect herself and her child and fights for those she cares dearest for. She ran away from the life she knew because she knew the life that her child would be living if she stayed in that environment. She told me about the stories her mother had told her of Emily's thoughts on Rory's life and lineage and could see the disdain that the Hayden's held for her because her mother not only had her and kept her, but she refused to marry her father. She also saw what it had done to her life with having an on again off again father and did not want that for her child. Coming to this town she has worked for everything she has gotten and her strength has helped build the connections she has made. In conversations with Donny, he always laments on how strong she is and how she has always done whatever is best for Rose no matter what anyone else thinks that she should do. Also, I have come to realize that it was not Rory who was not good enough for Logan, but Logan who is not good enough for Rory. Logan has always been so willing to hurt Rory and didn't want to give up his ways. Rory always was trying to do her best to make him happy and give him anything that would keep him there with her. Some may say she screwed up by getting back together when she knew he was in a relationship, but she always loved him and if given a chance wanted to be with him. Now she has realized how wrong that was of her to do and she is growing from it. Logan, on the other hand, couldn't keep it in his pants and as soon as Rory was done being the other woman he went out and found someone else to fill that role. I have been trying to avoid observing his relationship with Sally, so I am not sure if he has been faithful to her or not. Ultimately though, Rory is looking for a person to be her one and only. She is looking for a person who can love her, be faithful to her, be a strong father figure for her daughter, and ultimately someone who she can trust without fail. She doesn't talk about it, but I know she avoids interacting with men of a similar age to her. I believe this is because she isn't ready to enter the dating scene again and it is such a risk to bring anyone into her daughter's life. Overall, my thoughts on Rory in college were completely false and deluded, so I have been working for months on apologizing for them."

Finn stares at Mitchum and thinks over everything that he had just been told. He mulls over Mitchum's thoughts on why Rory and Logan were really not compatible. He could totally agree with what he was hearing. He knew that Logan had stepped out of his relationship with Honor's bridesmaids and he had never accepted Logan's excuse that they were on a break. He also knew of a possibility of a few other times that Logan may not have been faithful that Rory had never heard about to his knowledge. He also remembered how hard Rory had worked to become someone Logan would want for longer then a one night stand. She even tried to be a no strings relationship type of girl which was totally not her. She should never have tried to be someone that she wasn't. Finn ultimately knows that he fell in love with exactly who she was which was what Mitchum just told her and a whole lot more. Rory was a force to be reckoned with when their was something she wanted whether it be a story, a good grade, or a relationship. Also, he loves the way her eyes light up when she laughs hard and how it seems to release the stress from her. After thinking over what Mitchum had said about Rory and Logan's relationship, he starts to think about what he had said about Rory and how she has been handling relationships since everything with Logan blew up. In thinking about that he realizes that she let him in without fear to the life she was living and he wonders when she had done that last besides Mitchum or Donny. In that moment, he regrets rescinding his earlier statements because if this woman who had been so hurt by everyone she thought cared for her could be open and honest with him, then he should have been open and honest with her. He looks at Mitchum and says, "Thank you Mitchum for answering my question and letting me know all of that. I think I made a stupid mistake earlier."

Mitchum looks at him carefully and asks, "What do you mean, Finn?"

Finn looks back at Mitchum and says, "I have tried to avoid the knowledge of my feelings for years, but running into Rory here in this town and at this time made me realize how much I love her. I was always on the sidelines watching the idiotic things that Logan did to hurt her from all the times he cheated to that idiotic proposal at her graduation party. I never stepped up to stop him and I think I now know ultimately why I didn't. I fell in love with my best friends girl through comforting her during the times where she was unsure of what she should do with her future, keeping her company while Logan was in London, and ensuring that she always had a smile on her face. Her eyes just light up so bright with a smile on her face and I love seeing that. Ultimately, the mistake I made earlier was that when I went in with Rose to Rory's room, we were alone for a couple minutes and I confessed my love to her then. She was still processing what I had said and before I let her respond, I idiotically recanted everything I had told her."

Mitchum looks towards Finn stunned and then stands up and walks around slightly shaking his head. After a couple minutes he looks towards Finn and is about to respond when a doctor comes out to speak to them. The doctor looks at Mitchum and says, "Well, it seems that Rory is progressing and is stabilized, but we are still carefully observing her and monitoring the visitors that come to see her."

Finn takes a deep breath of relief in hearing that and Mitchum responds by stating, "That is good to hear. Do you know how long it maybe before we can see her?"

The doctor looks at him and carefully says, "If everything goes as we hopes and if your behavior stays calm, hopefully in an hour we will be able to get both of you into see her."

Mitchum nods his head and the doctor walks away. He then looks to Finn and says, "It was an idiotic move you made recanting your statements, but ultimately if you want to be honest with her and tell her truly how you feel I will help you."

 **In the hospital room**

Since Rose had fallen asleep, Donny and I continued to talk over everything that had happened since I came to the town and I told him about my life growing up. He seemed to understand why I was so reluctant to let anyone help. At one point in time, he let me know that he needed to step out to call Clarisse and give her an update on my condition. I continued to carefully hold the sleeping Rose and quietly sung a lullaby to her. My brain keeps circling back to everything that had happened recently and I appreciate both how blessed my life has been and how lucky I have gotten. The nurses come in every ten minutes or so to check on Rose and I and watch my progress. I can at times feel their judgment in regards to my being a single mother, but overall they seem to be focused on their job of keeping me alive to continue raising my daughter.

 **Outside the hospital**

Donny walks quickly out of the hospital and calls The Cool Place as he knows that Clarisse will be there taking care of their customers. He goes to tell her the update about Rory when she says, "Hey Donny, there's someone here asking about Rory. She says her name is Lorelai Gilmore and that she is Rory's mother. What do you think I should say?"

 **Author's Note: I hope that you liked this chapter. What did you think? What do you think is going to happen now that Lorelai is in town? Feel free to review, follow and favorite as you desire**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello dutiful readers! I want to thank you all for your patience for this chapter and I apologize for the delay. I want to thank all of you for the follows and favorites that this story has received and I hope you know how much it spurns me to write the next chapter. Hopefully the next one will not take so long.**

 **As always, I own nothing (except the characters I created) and all rights go to where they are due.**

 **Chapter 9**

 **Outside of the hospital**

Donny looks carefully around him pondering how to answer the question posed to him. After everything he has learned, he can see all of the reasons to keep Lorelai away from Rory, but also he can see all of the reasons to bring them back together. He finally responds, "Don't say anything. I am going to talk to Mitchum and most likely Rory to decide what we are going to do about this development."

His wife agrees and they hang up quickly. Donny returns to the hospital and stops in the waiting room. From a distance, he can see that the two men sitting there have diffused their anger and seem to be conversing calmly between each other. Donny walks into the room and says, "Hey Mitchum. There has been a strange development in this saga."

Mitchum and Finn both look up at him quickly and he can see a fear in Finn's eyes, but Mitchum looks more concerned. Mitchum states, "What sort of development, Donny?"

Donny takes a deep breath and watches both men carefully as he says, "According to Clarisse, a Lorelai Gilmore is at The Cool Place asking about Rory. What do you think we should do?"

Mitchum shakes his head angrily and says carefully, "Do nothing. Tell that wretch that he daughter is dead if you have to. She has no right to be here and no right to be in her daughter's or granddaughter's life. She called Rose a mistake and can't come crawling back now acting like she is concerned for her child."

Donny looks towards Finn and sees a more contemplative state on the mans face. Finn carefully says, "I don't think this is our decision to make, but Rory's. It is up to her to decide how she wants to continue or discontinue the relationship with her mother."

Donny looks between the two men and says, "Mitchum, I understand where you are coming from in trying to protect Rory and Rose, but ultimately I agree with Finn on this. I knew it was likely that I would have to ask her, but I also know that it is the right thing to do."

Both men nod and Donny returns to the hospital room carefully. He smiles as he walks in and sees Rory carefully caressing Rose and rocking her. He hears a quiet lullaby being sung and freezes as he looks at the serene scene.

 **In the hospital room**

I look up carefully from Rose as I sing a gentle lullaby to calm her. I smile at Donny as I had not realized that he had reentered the room. I ask, "How did the conversation with Clarisse go?"

I observe carefully as he continues his walk into the room and sits down in the chair next to me. After a brief pause he says, "It was an interesting one. Apparently, your mother is in town looking for you."

As he pauses his statement, I can feel the life I had built crashing down around me with a sudden realization that no matter how hard I tried to hide, I could not do so as I have been doing. I look at him and say, "Just to verify, what did she say her name was and what was she trying to figure out?"

Donny looks towards me with a contemplative look before finally saying, "She said her name is Lorelai Gilmore and she is asking about you, obviously."

I shake my head and look down at Rose carefully. I then look back towards Donny and ask, "What did Clarisse tell her?"

I can see the concern in Donny's eyes and the honesty as he says, "She hasn't told her anything yet. She was asking my opinion of what she should tell her. I was trying to come up with an answer, but ultimately the decision is up to you. I did let Finn and Mitchum know of the development. Finn agreed with my thoughts on that it is up to you to decide, whereas Mitchum had some darker thoughts on the matter."

I think over the life I have lived since I left Star Hollows, the people I have met, and the situations that have come about. I also think about my relationship with my mother before our argument and can see how I have grown since I left the sheltering of her care. She always wanted me to be her mini me, but when I wanted to be myself she fought me on every chance. She was never Logan's fan since he came from the rich, entitled life style. She was never a fan that I was becoming more interested in grandma's lifestyle and events. Yet when I did something to match her and be her mini me, she attacked me for it as well. There was nothing I could ever do to please my mother and ultimately that was not an environment I wanted to raise my daughter in. I finally look at Donny and say carefully, "Tell Clarisse to tell her to go home. To tell her that whatever she is looking for will not be found here and that even if her daughter was here, that her daughter would not want to see her for the cruelty that was bestowed on her. If she asks further questions, tell Clarisse to tell her that she could never stand who her daughter was or who she was becoming and for that reason she needs to let her go and let her grow."

Donny watches me carefully and says, "Are you one hundred percent sure that is what you want Clarisse to tell your mother, Rory?"

I nod my head and say, "Yes I am, Donny. My mother brought me up to be her mini me with her goals for my life, but when I strayed from them it angered her and she would fight me on every decision I tried to make. When I did something to follow in her footsteps, getting pregnant out of wedlock, she threw me to the side and attacked me for it. I can never make her happy and it is not healthy for me to try and make her happy."

Donny nods his head and says, "I will not delay in telling Clarisse the answer then. I will be back shortly and we will see if the doctor agrees to allow Mitchum and Finn into the room."

I watch Donny carefully step out of the hospital room. I think over my decision and ultimately know it is the right one. I then look down at the sleeping Rose and think on the decision that I know I have to make. I gently rock her and whisper, "Oh I love you so much, my sweet innocent daughter. It is time for us to enact the back up plan and hopefully find our forever safety."

 **Outside the hospital room**

Donny walks quickly towards the elevator avoiding the waiting room as he does not want to be dissuaded from sharing Rory's decision with his wife. He leaves the hospital and quickly calls Clarisse. He lets her know of the decision from Rory and confirms it with her. He then hangs up and looks around the outside of the hospital carefully. He is not sure if the decision Rory made was the best one, but he could understand where she was coming from. He remembered when he was a similar age and he was just opening The Cool Place. His father had told him that it was a mistake and would fail, but everyday he worked hard to show his father that it was a sound decision. After a year, the restaurant was packed every day at dinner time and he would always be able to help those in need. His father had come in for dinner one night and saw the restaurant hopping and asked for his sons forgiveness. Donny knows that people's minds can change, but he also knows that Rory has grown extremely since she first walked into his restaurant. His memory flits back to that day as he thinks about it. She had walked in and he directed her to sit wherever she pleased as it was a slow lunch rush for that day. He had brought the menu over to her and asked her for her drink order. He chuckles as he remembers how she had first said coffee, but then told him no not coffee and asked for a decaf tea instead. He had pondered the change, but had headed back and made her tea. He then came out with it and asked for her food order. She had ordered a hamburger and fries excitedly and he had headed back to make it. He delivered it and watched as she took some hungry bites of her food. A little while later, he had been busy with another customer when he saw her come up rushing to Clarisse and ask a question. Clarisse had directed her to the back, so he assumed that she was requesting the restroom. He was bogged down for quite a while with a rush, but that didn't dissuade him from noticing how long she was gone. After the rush died down, he had walked over to Clarisse and confirmed his thought on what the young woman had asked for. He then suggested to Clarisse that she go check on her as he had not seen her return yet. Clarisse agreed and headed back to the restroom while he handled the restaurant. Clarisse and the young woman did not return to the restaurant though which worried him, so when it reached the dead of the afternoon he headed to the back to check on the situation. He found the woman's restroom open and empty, but then heard voices talking upstairs in the spare apartment. He headed up the stairs and was amazed to find the door slightly opened. He stopped for a moment and heard Clarisse and the woman talking. Over the time since Clarisse had went to check on her, it seemed that she had made a connection with the young woman. He heard his wife ask a question that shocked him, "What are you going to do when the baby comes?"

He was amazed to here this and surprised because the woman didn't appear pregnant at all, but it would explain the change from coffee to decaf tea earlier. He finally knocked on the door and Clarisse came to open it. She brought him into the room, introduced him to Rory, and they discussed Rory's situation. At first, Rory was closer to Clarisse then she was to him, but over the months of her pregnancy she had grown closer to him as well. Now knowing that the woman who had pushed her own daughter away was in his restaurant, he is unsure of what to feel, but he knows that he will never fight Rory's decision.

 **The Cool Place**

Clarisse hangs up the phone and returns to the restaurant, where the ever persistent Lorelai Gilmore sits asking anyone that she can about her daughter's whereabouts. Clarisse walks up to her and says, "Now you have caused enough hassle in my restaurant, how about you come upstairs with me and have a talk?"

Lorelai looks at her with slight confusion, but the man with her agrees quickly. Clarisse then looks at him and asks, "I don't think I have caught your name. My name is Clarisse, one of the owners of The Cool Place. What is your name?"

The man looks at her and says, "My name is Luke Danes. I am Lorelai's husband and Rory's step-father. I actually own a diner in Stars Hollow similar to your establishment."

Clarisse nods her head and understands completely who this man is. Rory often talked about how much Donny reminded her of her step-father and Clarisse can now totally understand why. She leads the couple up into the spare apartment above the restaurant and remembers that first day when she met Rory and they conversed in this very room. She doesn't regret what she is about to tell this mother because she respects the wishes of Rory and can understand what she is doing for herself and her child. She directs the couple to sit on the couch in the room and she sits carefully across from them in the arm chair. She finally says, "I understand from everything you've said that you have been looking for a while for your daughter, but I think it is time you go home and let her be. If she left willingly, then she can return home as she desires as well."

Lorelai shakes her head and looks at Clarisse carefully as a tear slips down her check. She pulls out a handkerchief, dabs at the tear, and carefully says, "I understand that, but I said some very horrible things to her. I regret so much and I just want to apologize to her."

Clarisse nods her head and then says, "I can understand that, but that forgiveness you are looking for is not going to be found here and even if your daughter is here, she can not forgive the hurt done. You need to let your daughter stand on her own to learn and grow as she can."

Lorelai looks tearfully towards Clarisse and says, "I can help her learn and grow though. I only want the best for her."

Clarisse nods her head and says, "You may only want the best for her, but at this time the best maybe to be on her own. Your daughter grew up with you as her best friend trying to consistently follow the plan you set down for her, but this is the time for her to stand on her own two feet and find her own path. You want her to be able to do as she thinks best, don't you?"

Lorelai looks towards Clarisse and says angrily, "She doesn't know what she thinks is best. Her decisions she made always landed her in hot water. From her relationship with Jess to her child with Logan, if she even had the courage to have the child. She needs me to show her how to best live her life!"

Luke looks stunned towards his wife, but before he can say anything Clarisse says, "If that is how you think, then you are most definitely no longer welcome in this establishment. I would leave this town to because no one will share anything with you."

Lorelai looks at Clarisse stunned and storms towards the door and out of the apartment. Luke stands slowly up from the couch, clearly stunned from the altercation, looks carefully towards Clarisse and says, "I apologize for the statements she made. I don't think I realized until now how she feels about Rory making her own decisions. I plan to take her home and get her to drop this whole thing. Rory deserves to live her own life and if she ever feels like forgiving her mother, she knows where to find her."

Clarisse nods and says, "Thank you for that. I am sure that if she ever changes her mind, that she will return home."

Luke looks at Clarisse carefully, but is escorted out of the room before he can ask any further questions. Clarisse observes as Luke walks to a truck and gets into it. She then observes as the truck gets onto the road and drives out of town. As she watches the trucks tail lights leaving the town, she thinks, "Thanks riddance that horrible woman is gone!"

 **A/N I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and the interactions involving Lorelai. I apologize it isn't longer, but the chapter ending seemed appropriate. As always, feel free to review, follow and favorite as you desire!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello my amazing readers!**

 **I am so sorry for the delay in this chapter. I made a big change in my employment about 2 months ago and it has definitely been for the best. I think it has helped bring me out of the spot that I was stuck at. I hope you all enjoy this coming chapter and I plan to have a new one out sooner rather then later.**

 **As always rights go where they are deserved, I own nothing except the characters I have created.**

 **Chapter 10**

 **Outside the hospital room**

Donny walks back inside after instructing Clarisse on what to do in regards to Rory's mother. He heads back to the waiting room and looks carefully at Finn and Mitchum. He says carefully, "Following Rory's instructions, I told Clarisse to tell Lorelai to go home."

Mitchum and Finn look back and forth between each other and then carefully back at Donny. Donny then looks around and approaches one of the nurses. He carefully asks her, "Excuse me, could you reach one of the doctor's working on Miss Hayden's case for me? I need to ask them a question."

She looks at him questionably, but then nods her head and heads over to the phone. She makes a quick call and then says with the phone to her ear still, "Miss Hayden's doctor is currently not available to come here personally. What did you need to ask?"

Donny looks back at Mitchum and Finn and looks back at the nurse, "Could you ask if her other visitors can be allowed into the room? They have calmed down and if they step out of line, I will remove them from the room."

The nurse nods her head and returns her conversation to the phone. She looks back at Donny and then towards the other men. She hangs up the phone and walks towards Mitchum and Finn. She stops in front of their chairs and says, "The doctor has approved you two to enter Miss Hayden's room, but if you cause any more issues you will be removed from the hospital and not allowed to return."

Both men nod their heads and follow Donny toward Rory's room. Mitchum looks around carefully still pondering who could have caused Rory's injuries, but too afraid to question her directly as he doesn't want to lose her. Finn stops just outside the door to think over everything he said and everything he recanted and regrets it immediately. He wishes desperately that he could go back in time and let it play out differently, but unfortunately he knows that he has screwed up again.

 **Inside the hospital room**

I hold a sleeping Rose to my chest still rocking her gently. I look up from her sleeping form as I hear the door open. Donny enters the room, carefully followed by Mitchum and behind him slightly delayed comes Finn. I look over the three men currently in my life trying their best to keep my life safe and secure and I hate what I know that I have to do. I know that it will hurt them all, but it will be best for Rose and myself. It is a plan that I had presented to me just three months before Rose's birth, but at the time I did not see the risk in continuing as I had and I turned it down. The person offering it had offered an extension of it stating that the plan would be there for when my eyes were opened to the danger in front of me. I smile at Donny and Mitchum, the two men who had become protectors and father figures for me in the last several months, and then I look at Finn, the best friend of the father of my child who recanted his earlier statements of love for me, and I say, "Well I am glad to see all three of you have gotten permission to enter my room again."

Donny and Mitchum chuckle and Finn looks at me with slight concern in his eyes. I look over the three men in front of me and know that the first step I have to take to follow my plan of escape is to push away the one that I see a possible life with, but he recanted his earlier profession. I look carefully at Finn and say, "Finn, I thank you for your concern and your presence during this uncertain time, but I request that you leave the hospital. You are Logan's friend and I don't want to come between your friendship. I know that you care about me as well, but ultimately when I pushed Logan away I also pushed you boys away. We were never friends before Logan and will never be friends without Logan."

Finn looks at me carefully and says, "Rory, I understand all of the concern you have for Rose's safety and your own and I would never divulge the information of your location to Logan or Sally. You have to understand that I would never do anything to purposefully hurt either of you. Are you sure you want me to leave?"

I take a deep breath as I know that Finn believes he is speaking the truth. In truth, I know that he will follow the words he has spoken, but I also know that it will tear a hole in his friendship with Logan and I could not stand to do that to them. After thinking that, I also feel the protective urge flow even fiercer into me. He had said that he understood my concern for Rose's safety and my own, but he didn't understand that my safety became no concern of mine once Rose was born. If I thought it was the best solution for Rose, I would have gladly given my life for hers back in my apartment. I knew though that she needed a warrior defending her to take down the force that was coming after her. I knew from the way she spoke that Sally saw both Rose and I as a threat for the bubble that she had created with Logan, but ultimately she saw Rose as the greater threat as she was Logan's blood. I look at Finn and say defensively, "I am sure I wish that you leave Finn. I don't want to tear a hole in your friendship with Logan."

Finn looks at me like he wants to say something more, but then he shakes his head and walks out of the room with a look of almost defeat. I look carefully towards Mitchum and Donny, who had shockingly been quiet during my discussion with Finn, to see a look of confusion on Donny's face and an almost look of smug pride on Mitchum's. Donny looks towards Mitchum and then towards me before carefully asking, "If you asked Finn to leave because he was first friends with Logan, why have you never asked the same of Mitchum?"

I look carefully towards Mitchum and then back towards Donny before saying, "I think the answer to that is at the time Mitchum came back into my life I didn't know of the threat towards my child or myself, but he was the one who informed me of it. He also helped me work on a plan to stay away from the danger present in my life."

Donny nods his head and Mitchum looks towards me before carefully saying, "Did you really mean what you said to Finn?"

I look towards him and ask him cautiously, "Which part are you questioning, Mitchum?"

Mitchum looks at me carefully and asks, "I meant the part about when you told him that your were never his friend without Logan and will never be his friend without Logan."

I look towards Mitchum and carefully say, "Yes I did mean it, Mitchum. I also have come to realize in this time that while I didn't push you away when I first probably should have that I must do it now. You are Logan's father. My child or I shouldn't be coming between a relationship between you and your son or your son's significant other. It has been nice the last few months to have your support, but I have been extremely selfish to take that away from Logan. It is time for you to return home and support your son while forgetting about his unclaimed child."

Mitchum looks at me carefully and says, "Rory, you can't necessarily mean that. My son may have not claimed your daughter, but I see her as every bit family. I want to support the both of you and be in your lives."

I look back at Mitchum and say, "I mean exactly what I have said Mitchum. You, your son, and your entire family have no claim on my daughter as I did as you instructed and claimed her father as unknown. We don't need your support and it is time for you to learn your greatest lesson. Sometimes you don't always get to have everything Mitchum, but you take what you have you run with it. You have a growing relationship with your son and it is time that you show him the growth that you have made. You need to show him that you will not judge his choice in significant other or the choices he has made, but that you will support him in whatever decisions he makes. Finn told me that they are hiding out in London to protect her, but it is time you bring them home and support them. Mitchum I hope all of this goes well."

Mitchum looks at me closer and with a fierciness says, "Rory, I don't understand why you are doing this. Have you gone crazy? You were just stabbed in your own home and you are pushing me away when all I want to do is protect you and your child?"

I look at him and say defiantly, "I know what happened to me, Mitchum, and I know what could have happened to my child. I don't need you or anyone to protect myself or my child besides me. Now the question Mitchum is are you going to leave willingly Mitchum or will I need to call the hospital security to remove you?"

Mitchum looks at me almost stunned and then looks back towards Donny. Donny looks at Mitchum and says in almost a whisper, "Just go Mitchum."

Mitchum shakes his head, but then stands and heads out the door. Donny looks at me and says carefully, "Are you going to push me out as well Rory?"

I look towards Donny and then look down at Rose in my arms before saying, "No, I am not going to push you out Donny. I know you maybe confused right now why I did all of that, but I promise you I only did it because I had to."

Donny nods his head and says, "Will you tell me Rory why you have done all that you have done?"

I look up from Rose and look Donny straight in the eyes as I say, "Donny I can tell you some of why I have done what I have done, but first I need you to make me a promise. I need you to promise me that you will not tell anyone and I mean anyone what I am about to tell you."

Donny looks at Rose in my arms and then back at me before saying, "Rory I promise you that I will not tell anyone what you are about to tell me."

I smile down at Rose and then look around the room as I say, "First off Donny, I need you to understand that I do know who hurt me, but I am not going to tell you or anyone as it will just cause more trouble and won't solve anything. Secondly to protect Rose I am going to have to utilize my back up plan which means leaving everyone that I love and care for behind me. I want you to understand something though. I can't tell you much of the plan from this point forward, but if anything happens to me I have ensured that Rose comes to you and Clarisse as you are the only ones I trust to care for her and raise her right."

I turn my gaze towards Donny as I finish my statements. I can see the confusion in his eyes, but also an almost understanding look. After a minute or so, he finally says, "I may not understand fully why you are doing all of this, but I will support it Rory. If anything should happen to you and Rose does come to us, Clarisse and I will raise her to be a force just like her mother. We will make sure also that she knows about her mother."

I nod my head at his statements and then Donny quickly questions, "How much longer until you leave?"

I look around the room and then at him and say, "I will leave as soon as I am released from the hospital. Can you and Clarisse help care for Rose until that time."

He nods his head and I feel that one burden lifted off of my chest. I know that I will have a few days in this hospital and be questioned by police, but I see the light of freedom at the end of the tunnel. Soon I will be starting a new path, but hopefully it will lead overall to the safety of my sweet darling Rose.

 **In London**

Logan watches carefully as the plane touches down at the private airport. Sally had left a few days before stating a family emergency in the states that she had to rush to. He had of course offered to go with, but she had asked to go alone. In the days without her he had come to realize how much he couldn't live without her. He knew ultimately that it was time to make a big step in their relationship and he was afraid because the last time he had willingly asked this question he as told no. He watches as Sally carefully exits the plane and steps from the vehicle. She smiles as she sees him and comes running to him. They great excitedly with a passionate kiss. After this they enter the waiting car and converse quietly as her bags are loaded in. As they leave the airport, Sally asks, "Are we headed for home, Logan?"

Logan looks at her and cautiously shakes his head before saying, "No, my dear, I have a surprise for you first."

Sally smiles almost giddily and snuggles up next to Logan as they continue their drive. A short while later they stop and the door is carefully opened by the driver. Logan exits first, but then reaches in to extend his hand to Sally to allow her to exit. She takes it and exits the vehicle amazed by the sight in front of her. They are parked at one of the highest points in London looking over the city and in front of her is an elegantly set table overlooking the scenery below them. She looks amazed towards Logan, but they head together to the table to enjoy the meal. They eat their meal and enjoy conversation throughout. Right before dessert Logan looks carefully at Sally and says, "Sally the last several months have been the most amazing of my life. I love every moment that we have spent together and want a million more."

He stops his statements and carefully gets down on one knee producing a ring box from his pocket. He then opens it to reveal a gorgeous 3 karat diamond ring and continues asking, "Sally, my dear, will you do me the pleasure of being my partner for the rest of my life? Will you marry me?"

Sally starts excitedly jumping up and down and says, "Yes, of course, yes Logan yes!"

Logan quickly slides the ring on her finger and they kiss enthusiastically. Logan then motions to the caterers who bring out their dessert and a bottle of champagne. They go to pop the champagne open, but Sally quickly says, "Stop."

Logan and the caterers look at her confused as she says, "Logan, I have a confession to make. I didn't return to the states because of a family emergency. I returned home because I wanted to see my own doctor to confirm something for me."

Logan looks at her confused and asks, "What did you want to confirm with your doctor?"

Sally carefully says, "Well I wanted to confirm what a little test told me and it turns out it was right. My doctor says that we are about 10 weeks along."

She carefully slides an ultrasound picture across the table to Logan. He looks stunned at her and says carefully, "I'm going to be a father?"

She nods her head carefully and he starts to cry tears of joy. He centers himself and then carefully asks, "Sally, since we are starting a family how about we make that family official sooner than later?"

She looks at him cautiously and asks, "What were you thinking, Logan?"

Logan looks at her and says, "I was thinking that we head back home to the states in a couple days and we get married then. We can have your family there, Honor and her family, and my parents there or it can be just us if you want."

Sally looks at him and carefully asks, "How about we get married here in London, just the two of us?"

Logan looks at her and says, "Whatever you want, my dear! You say the word and I will make this family official."

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed that chapter. There will be a small time jump (just a couple days to get Rory out of the hospital) in the next chapter. As always, please feel free to review, favorite, and follow as you desire.**


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Okay, okay I am so sorry that this chapter took so very long. I don't have a valid explanation and it just bugs me, but I do like where this chapter went. I will try and work quicker on the next chapter. I hope you like what you have to read below.

Enjoy!

Chapter 11

A few days later

Rory's perspective

I look around carefully as the nurse wheels me to the hospital entrance. Donny is walking next to me with Rose in her carrier. It had been tough, but I was able to convince the police over the last few days that I hadn't been able to identify my attacker and wouldn't be able to identify them in the future. We reach the entrance of the hospital and I see Clarisse sitting in the car just outside the entrance. The nurse stops the wheelchair and Donny opens the car door before running around to the other side of the car to get Rose all set up. Once he is done, he comes back around to stand guard as I slowly stand up to enter the vehicle. I look around again and then slide carefully into the vehicle. The doctor's had said that after all my injuries I was lucky to be as able as I am. They did suggest to follow up with my own doctor a few times a week for the next month or so just to make sure that everything was hunky dory, but that is one instruction I won't be following. I know that Donny can sense that it is getting closer to the time that I will leave, but I also know that he will keep my secret. Donny closes the door behind me and gets in the front seat with Clarisse. Clarisse looks back at me and says, "So dear, I was thinking that we would take you to the apartment above the diner just until we can figure out some place for you and Rose to go without all of the horrible memories?"

I look at her and know that she is trying to think of a best plan for us, but I know what the ultimate answer to her offer has to be. I take a deep breathe and say, "That sounds fine Clarisse, but first I would like to stop by the apartment to get a few things. Do you think you could drop Rose and I off there alone?"

She says with a shocked tone to her voice, "You want to go to that place alone?"

I nod my head and quickly say, "I think it would be best if I see all of the damage on my own and have some time to process this all without being observed. Donny and you are more than welcome to head over to the diner and Rose and I will meet you there once we have collected what we need."

Donny reaches over and gently pats Clarisse's hand. He then looks at me and says, "I think that sounds like a great plan Rory. It gives you a chance to have some alone time with your thoughts as well. I will escort Rose and you to the elevator at least to ensure that your strength holds."

I nod my head knowing that I wouldn't get Donny to drop this one. I then say to Clarisse, "I do believe that you should stay in the car though. That way you don't have to try and find parking around my building when we all know how hard that can be."

Clarisse chuckles and then says, "Oh alright, if that is really what you want. If you falter at all in your steps, I will be apt to reconsider my decision though."

I can sense her concern, but then she starts driving towards my apartment. The drive goes quickly and soon enough we are pulling into the loading only zone in front of my apartment building. I remove Rose's carrier from the car seat holder as Donny opens my door. He takes her from me as I carefully stand up out of the car. I take Rose back from him and walk towards the door. Donny goes to close the back door and I hear him say to Clarisse, "I'll be right back."

I reach the door of my building and push it inwards as I hear his footsteps rushing to catch up to me. We enter the building and I look around carefully to see the lobby nearly empty. Donny looks at me and states, "So Rory, will we actually see you back at the diner?"

I look at Donny and state, "Of course, I wouldn't lie to you or Clarisse, Donny."

He looks at me carefully with consideration as we reach the elevator. I reach out and hit the button for the elevator. I wait patiently for its arrival and watch the numbers drop as it gets closer. When it hits the second floor, I look at Donny and say, "Thank you for everything that you have done for Rose and I in the last couple of days and really since I came to this little town. I don't know where I would be without you right now."

The door dings open and I step in. I turn around, hit the button for our floor and look up to see an almost dumbfounded Donny staring back at me. The doors close and he hasn't moved, but I know that he will shortly. The elevator starts to ascend and I look down at Rose in the carrier. She is sitting patiently while quietly sucking her pacifier and just observing the world around her. The elevator reaches our floor and I lift her up. I cautiously step off the elevator and slowly walk towards our elevator. I remember the first day that I walked towards this apartment. I was heavily pregnant with Rose and had somehow managed to save enough for the needed payment to move out of the apartment above the diner. I had walked through the hall unsure of the building, but once I had entered the apartment I had envisioned the life that she and I could live there. In the weeks that followed, I had carefully set up the nursery as I saw fit for my little princess and just was excited for the joy to come. Of course now walking back to enter what was once my safe space, but now has been evaded by an outside force is tough. I stop at the door and slowly unlock it. Donny had told me that the police had him do a walk through of the place just to see if he saw anything extremely odd or saw something expensive missing. Of course nothing was gone, but everything was out of place. He mentioned that with permission from the officers, he had been able to clean the blood from the bathroom, but that he had not taken time to clean anything else up. After thinking more on this, I finally push the door open and almost gasp in shock at the destruction that Sally had managed to cause in such a short time. The home that I had carefully constructed for Rose and I is all out of wack. The couch I had carefully picked out from the local Goodwill has all the cushions slashed and the fluff pulled out and spread around the room. My eyes then lead to my dining room set that has been somehow hacked to pieces and then my kitchen filled with shattered glass. I carefully step further into the apartment and direct myself towards Rose's room unsure of what awaits me there. While the destruction in the living space stuns me, it doesn't bother me as much as I initially expected that it would. Some of that I put towards the fact that I walked into this knowing this was no longer my home and knowing that it was time to move on. As I enter Rose's room, a small part of me breaks as I look around what was once her carefully decorated nursery that has been completely destroyed. When I had first been setting up the room, Clarese had tried to convince me to go with a more simplistic theme as a baby would never remember the first room or understand why a theme of a room mattered. Of course I had gently told her no and set up the nursery the way that I wanted to. I first found a carpenter in the community to build a handmade crib with book shelves built in surrounding the crib. I then had the same carpenter make a similar changing table, but include storage drawers for all the needed supplies. While he was working on building those, I worked carefully on painting the room (the owner of the building gave me permission because he was a friend of Donny's and was excited for a baby to be living in one of his rental buildings) with a Dr. Seuss inspired mural of books with rainbows pouring out of them. I did this to show the worlds and possibilities that can live in every book. Once the crib and changing table made it into the room, I filled them and a few other bookshelves I had found with tons of children books ranging from picture books to chapter books. In the room I also filled a play chest with a few stuffed animals to keep around to entertain Rose with when needed. Now today as I stare into the room, the books are all pulled apart and the stuffed animals are destroyed. The worse damage I see though is to the crib and changing table. Sally had toppled them and wrote nasty words all over them. She couldn't do to much damage to them because of how sturdy they were built, but it still hurts to see what she wrote and how she defaced Rose's space. I look down at Rose still in her carrier and just quietly say, "Baby girl, I know you are never going to remember this room, but I hope that you know that it was a glorious place for your youngest days. Soon we will be heading onto our next great journey and hopefully a happier life."

She continues to suck her pacifier while looking disinterested. Of course as a baby I know that she is not aware of the situation around her, but also to see the absolute lack of concern calms my soul a little bit. I walk towards the crib on the ground and see one stuffed animal that had somehow survived the chaos. Luckily it is Rose's favorite that had been left in her crib. I don't know how it survived, but I grab it and bring it towards her. As I get close to her I say, "Ms. Piggy wants to say hi."

I then bring the stuffed pig close to her face. Rose drops the pacifier from her mouth and lets out a little gurgle of joy. I set the pig in the carrier with her and then place the pacifier back in her mouth. I then pick her carrier up again and walk towards my room. I can see the destruction caused, but it does not faze me. I take one quick look into the bathroom where Rose and I hid, shake my head and head back towards the front door. There is nothing worth taking from this place anymore. Thankfully all my secrets are kept elsewhere and were well hidden.

 **Meanwhile in London**

Logan stands in a suit in front of a mirror in a small dim lit room. Sally had quickly planned their small intimate wedding in just a couple days and here he stood preparing to go marry his future wife. Sally had managed to find a couple of witnesses who would sign the necessary documents. The wedding was occurring in a small chapel in London. After a knock on the door, he took a breath and headed for the door. He walked out behind the pulpit and stands next to the priest who would be officiating the ceremony. He had never been a religious man, but his bride had planned the day as she desired and he would do what she wished. The piano starts playing the traditional wedding march and he watches as Sally carefully walks herself down the aisle. The gown she had chosen was a princess style lace dress with long sleeves and a matching lace veil. The dress has a slight v cut to accentuate her breasts, but not to be overly showy. She reaches him and he takes her hands. He quietly states, "Sally you are so gorgeous today."

She smiles at him and says, "Well you look quite handsome yourself, Logan."

They both turn towards the priest who smiles at them before saying, "Today, we have come together to celebrate the love of these two people. They have come together to not boast their love to many, but to celebrate and embrace it between themselves. Now as it is just us and the witnesses today, the couple has asked to just share in the moment of their love together. After the moment, they will share their personally written vows."

The chapel comes to utter silence as Sally and Logan smile happily at each other. After that moment, Logan starts saying, "Sally I didn't know what I was looking for you when I met you, but you have been everything I ever needed in my life. You brought a brightness back into my everyday life and I love you every day a little more. We may not have had the most traditional of starts, but no matter where we came from I know that we are headed for a happily ever after with our family to come in the future. Today I vow to make you happy every day for the rest of our lives. Also to please you, praise you, and take care of you however maybe necessary. With that I vow to bow to your crazy requests, late night store runs, or whatever you may wish that I complete for you. I love you now and forever. I am taking your hand today in marriage to form an ever lasting partnership to tackle the rest of our days together."

During his vows, some tears had slipped down Sally's face, so Logan reaches out to swipe them away gently. Sally takes a deep breath and says, "Logan, I never knew quite what I wanted with my life until I met you. On that dreary day, you lit up my world and showed me the path that would become my life. With you I could see a life that I had never dreamed of before and I am so excited to start that journey now with you. I see our future and it is wonderful. I love that we are making this commitment now to each other as we prepare to start the hardest journey of life together in parenthood. I would not have picked anyone else to have at my side for this. Today I vow to love you forever. I vow to diligently assess your hair-brained schemes and work to make them feasible for you. I will every day work to ensure that we can be the best that we can be without holding each other back. I am taking your hand today in marriage to form an ever lasting partnership to tackle the rest of our days together."

The priest looks between them and says, "Now for the rings. Logan please take Sally's hand and place the ring on her finger and repeat after me, with this ring I thee wed."

Logan slips the ring on Sally's hand and repeats after the priest. The priest then looks at Sally and says, "Sally please take Logan's hand and place the ring on her finger and repeat after me, with this ring I thee wed."

Sally slips the ring on Logan's hand and repeats after the priest. The priest then looks at the couple and says, "With the blessing of the church I now call you man and wife. Logan you may kiss your bride."

Logan reaches down and passionately kisses Sally bringing her tightly into him. As they break apart the priest says to the witnesses, "May I present to you for the first time Mr and Mrs. Logan Huntzberger."

 **A/N: So I hope you enjoyed it! The next chapter should be exciting. Let me know your thoughts in the box and I hope you all know that your likes/favorites/comments really do help me try to push past my writers block.**


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